Commelina

Scientific name

Commelina L.

Common names

wandering jew, benghal dayflower, tropical spiderwort

Family

Commelinaceae

Similar genera

Floscopa, Murdannia, Tradescantia

Native distribution

temperate temperate:
(adj) of the climatic zone between boreal and tropical
and tropical Asia and Africa

Species cultivated

Commelina benghalensis L.

U.S. Federal Noxious Weed:Commelina benghalensis

Identification: Vegetative vegetative:
(adj) (1) pertaining to or to the growth of plant organs or plant parts that have nonreproductive functions, such as leaves, roots, stems, etc.; (2) concering non sexual propagules such as tubers, turions, stem fragments, root crowns, rhizomes
parts of C. benghalensis are phenotypically variable depending on growing conditions, especially stem and leaf shape. Flower petals are always purple-blue, with the lower petalpetal:
(n) one segment of the corolla
being smaller in size and concolourous with other petals, and the upper laterallateral:
(adj) on or pertaining to the side of an organ or structure
petals pedicellatepedicellate:
(adj) borne on a pedicel
. The inflorecence has relatively few (typically 1-2) flowers.

See Commelina benghalensis disseminule fact sheet.

Adventive distribution

Australasia, North and South America, the Pacific

Weed status

Commelina benghalensis is a terrestrialterrestrial:
(adj) growing on land as opposed to living in water
weed on the U.S. federal noxious weeds list.

Habit

terrestrial terrestrial:
(adj) growing on land as opposed to living in water
to amphibiousamphibious:
(adj) of a plant able to live on land or in water
, creeping herb

Brief description

Stems ascending to decumbentdecumbent:
(adj) (of stems) having a portion lying along the ground, with upper parts erect or ascending
, branched, finely pubescentpubescent:
(adj) (1) covered with short, soft hairs; (2) bearing hairs
, rooting at nodes. Leaves alternatealternate:
(adj) (of leaves) bearing one leaf per node; placed singly on the stem at different heights
; sessilesessile:
(adj) attached directly, without a stalk
to petiolatepetiolate:
(adj) relating to or in the form of a petiole; bearing petioles
; sheath with reddish brown hairs; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
ovate; apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
acuteacute:
(adj) tapering to a sharp, pointed apex with more or less straight sides; broader than acuminate; forming an angle of less than 90 degrees
to acuminateacuminate:
(adj) tapering gradually to a point and forming more or less concave sides
; base obtuseobtuse:
(adj) with a blunt or rounded apex and sides coming together at an angle of more than 90 degrees
to truncatetruncate:
(adj) terminating abruptly, as if cut straight across
; margins entireentire:
(adj) having a continuous margin that is not toothed or lobed
, hairy; venationvenation:
(n) the arrangement of veins in a leaf
parallel-palmate. Underground flowers cleistogamouscleistogamous:
(adj) (of flowers) remaining closed, self-pollinating, and setting fertile seed
, bisexualbisexual:
(adj) having both male and female sexual reproductive structures on one individual or in one flower
, resemble swollen nodes. Stem flowers in axillaryaxillary:
(adj) in, of, or produced from an axil
cymes, 1-3-flowered, short-lived; pedunculatepedunculate:
(adj) borne on or possessing a peduncle
; bracts fused, funnel-shaped; flowers zygomorphiczygomorphic:
(adj) bilaterally symmetrical; symmetrical along only one plane
, bisexualbisexual:
(adj) having both male and female sexual reproductive structures on one individual or in one flower
and staminatestaminate:
(adj) (of flowers) male; bearing stamens but not pistils
; sepals 3; petals 3, laterallateral:
(adj) on or pertaining to the side of an organ or structure
petals round to ovateovate:
(adj) egg-shaped in outline; generally with the broad end at or near the base
, apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
obtuse, base cuneate-cordate, lilac blue, lower petalpetal:
(n) one segment of the corolla
smaller white to blue.

Natural habitat

wide variety of habitats, often in wet places subject to flooding

Additional comments

Commelina contains over 200 species.