Commelina diffusa |
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climbing dayflower, spreading dayflower |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial or annual, spreading. | ||||
Stems | decumbent to scandent. |
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Leaves | blade narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate-oblong, lanceolate-elliptic or ovate, 1.5–14 × 0.5–3.3 cm, margins scabrous, apex acute to acuminate, glabrous. |
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Inflorescences | distal cyme 1–several-flowered, usually exserted; spathes solitary, bright green, without contrasting veins, pedunculate, usually distinctly falcate, (0.5–)0.8–4 × 0.4–1.2(–1.4) cm, margins distinct, glabrous or scabrous, sometimes also sparsely ciliate or ciliolate basally, apex usually acuminate, usually glabrous or nearly so; peduncles 0.5–2(–4) cm. |
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Flowers | bisexual and staminate; petals all blue (rarely all lavender), proximal petal smaller; medial stamen anther connective usually with transverse band of violet; staminodes 2–3; antherodes yellow, medial often absent or vestigial, cruciform. |
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Capsules | 3-locular, 2-valved, 4–6.3 mm. |
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Seeds | 5 (or less through abortion), brown, 2–2.8(–3.2) × 1.4–1.8 mm, deeply reticulate. |
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Commelina diffusa |
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Distribution |
AL; AR; DC; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; OH; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA; Pantropical
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Discussion | The name Commelina nudiflora Linnaeus has been incorrectly used for this species. Varieties 4 (2 in the flora). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 22. | ||||
Parent taxa | Commelinaceae > Commelina | ||||
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Name authority | Burman f.: Flora Indica. nec non Prodromus Florae Capensis 18, plate 7, fig. 2. (1768) | ||||
Web links |