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climbing dayflower, spreading dayflower

Photo is of parent taxon

climbing dayflower

Habit Herbs, perennial or annual, spreading. Herbs, perennial, robust, spreading, sometimes scrambling in shrubs.
Stems

decumbent to scandent.

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.

blade narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate-elliptic, 6–14 × 1–3.3 cm, apex acuminate.

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.

distal cyme usually exserted, 1–3-flowered;

proximal cyme 2–5-flowered;

spathes pedunculate, falcate, 2.3–4 × 0.5–1.1 cm, apex acuminate;

peduncles 1–2(–4) cm.

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.

blue;

medial stamen anther connective without dark band.

Capsules

3-locular, 2-valved, 4–6.3 mm.

3-locular, 2-valved.

Seeds

5 (or less through abortion), brown, 2–2.8(–3.2) × 1.4–1.8 mm, deeply reticulate.

typically only 1–2 developing, dark brown, 2.1–2.8 mm, deeply reticulate.

2n

= 90.

Commelina diffusa

Commelina diffusa var. gigas

Phenology Flowering spring–fall (perhaps all year round).
Habitat Hammocks, streamsides, ditches, cypress swamps, wet woods, and lake shores
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; DC; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; OH; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA; Pantropical
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; Asia [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

Commelina diffusa is a very variable species throughout its vast range. I have not been able to match C. diffusa var. gigas with specific herbarium specimens from elsewhere. It probably arrived as an introduction instead of arising from diploid C. diffusa through in situ autopolyploidy.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Leaf blades 1.5–5(–8) × 0.5–1(–2.2) cm; medial anther connective with broad transverse violet band; capsules 5-seeded (occasionally less, by abortion)
var. diffusa
1. Leaf blades 6–14 × 1–3.3 cm; medial anther connective without dark band; capsules typically 1–2-seeded
var. gigas
Source FNA vol. 22. FNA vol. 22.
Parent taxa Commelinaceae > Commelina Commelinaceae > Commelina > Commelina diffusa
Sibling taxa
C. benghalensis, C. caroliniana, C. communis, C. dianthifolia, C. erecta, C. forskaolii, C. gambiae, C. virginica
C. diffusa var. diffusa
Subordinate taxa
C. diffusa var. diffusa, C. diffusa var. gigas
Synonyms C. gigas
Name authority Burman f.: Flora Indica. nec non Prodromus Florae Capensis 18, plate 7, fig. 2. (1768) (Small) Faden: Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 80: 213. (1993)
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