Asiatic Day Flower

Commelina communis 

(Commelina comminis var. communis)

kom-uh-LIN-uh/kom-uh-LEE-nuh  KOM-yoo-nis

Synonyms of Commelina communis var. communis (30) (Updated on 12-15-22 from Plants of the World Online): Commelina barbata Bojer (1837), Commelina communis f. alba Ti Chen (1994), Commelina communis f. albiflora Makino (1910), Commelina communis f. albomaculata Sugim. (1973), Commelina communis f. albomarginata Tuyama (1948), Commelina communis f. alboradiata Tuyama (1948), Commelina communis var. angustifolia Nakai (1909), Commelina communis f. aureostriata Tuyama (1948), Commelina communis f. caeruleopurpurascens Makino (1931), Commelina communis f. candida Hiyama (1953), Commelina communis var. ciliata Masam. (1960)(nom. illeg.), Commelina communis f. ciliata Pennell (1939), Commelina communis f. ciliata (Masam.) Murata (1993)(nom. illeg.), Commelina communis f. diabolica (Koidz.) Sugim. (1973), Commelina communis subsp. exserta Pennell (1938), Commelina communis var. exserta (Pennell) F.G.Bernard (1968), Commelina communis var. hebespatha H.Hara (1938), Commelina communis f. hebespatha (H.Hara) Sugim. (1967), Commelina communis var. hortensis Makino (1901), Commelina communis f. leucantha Nakai (1935), Commelina communis f. minor (Y.N.Lee & Y.C.Oh) M.Kim (2017), Commelina communis f. miranda Hiyama (1953), Commelina coreana H.Lév. (1910), Commelina diabolica Koidz. (1939), Commelina minor Y.N.Lee & Y.C.Oh (1981), Commelina nipponica Koidz. (1939), Commelina polygama Roth (1790), Commelina vulgaris Redouté (1808)(not validly publ.), Commelina willdenowii Kunth (1843), Disecocarpus polygamus (Roth) Hassk. (1870). There were only 14 on the last update on 11-16-21.

Commelina communis L. is the accepted scientific name for this species of Commelina. It was named and described as such by Carl von Linnaeus in the first edition of Species Plantarum in 1753.

Accepted infraspecific names (2)(Updated on 12-25-22): Commelina communis var. communis (type specimen), Commelina communis var. ludens (Miq.) C.B.Clarke. When a form, variety (variant), or subspecies is named an autonym (“type specimen”) is automatically named that is closest to the species. Commelina communis var. ludens is present in Missouri but quite rare. 

The genus, Commelina Plum. ex L., was described as such by Carl von Linnaeus in the first edition of Species Plantarum in 1753. Mr. Linnaeus noted that the genus had been previously named and described by Charles Plumier.

As of 12-15-22 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online list 200 species in the Commelina genus. It is a member of the plant family Commelinaceae with 39 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO.

The above map from Plants of the World Online shows where Commelina communis is native in green and purple where it has been introduced. The species could be in other areas but may not have been reported. The USDA Plants Database shows a similar map of the United States but also includes the state of Washington. 

The map on iNaturalist shows where members have made observations. Anyone can join and it is a great website to confirm and share your observations. The maps on iNaturalist are continually updated as members post new observations.

THERE ARE SEVERAL LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING AND TO HELP WITH A BETTER POSITIVE ID.

2019 was a great year for identifying wildflowers on the farm. I took photos of Dayflowers in 2018 but I was just barely getting started identifying the wildflowers here. In 2019, I decided to ID as many as I could but I got fairly busy at a friend’s farm. It wasn’t until the end of August that I took the first photos of Commelina erecta and I didn’t see any C. communis until September 1.

The Commelina erecta were in a very large colony along kind of ditch where the pasture drains into that leads to the pond. At first, I was checking their flowers sterile anthers for reddish-brown dots which is a characteristic of C. communis. There was a strange problem… The spath-like bracts the flowers emerge from of Commelina erecta are supposed to be closed while the bracts of C. communis are supposed to be open. However, all the flowers in this colony were open instead of closed… The flowers had light blue petals and no reddish-brown dots like C. erects… So why were their bracts open instead of closed?

Finally, on September 1 as I was leaving the area, I looked down on the left side of where I went in and spotted a few plants with darker blue flowers. I took a closer look and low and behold the sterile anthers had reddish-brown spots. I had found Commelina communis! But, something was weird! Their bracts were fused together where they should have been open! I thought maybe I had them backward even though I was sure I knew what I was looking for. After I took several photos, I went back inside to check. Sure enough, Commelina communis are supposed to have open bracts. That is one of the feature characteristics that separate it from C. erecta, besides having the reddish-brown spots.

Flowers emerge from a heart-shaped bract called a spathe (spathelike bract) which is attached to the stem by a peduncle. One to three flowers will be produced inside the spathe. Normally the flowers will open in succession but I have seen two at the same with the C. erecta.

The two upper petals of C. communis are a darker, true-blue.

The above photo shows the difference between Comellina communis on the left and Commelina erecta on the right. The three sterile anthers AND the three lower fertile anthers of the C. communis have reddish-brown spots.

The above photo shows the closed bracts on the C. communis on the left and open bracts of the C. erecta on the right. C. communis bracts are supposed to be open and C. erecta bracts are supposed to be closed… Hmmm…

On September 18 I noticed a few Commelina communis near the swampy area in the southeast corner of the farm. These flowers had open bracts like they are supposed to. There were no other Commelina species in the area.

I have read that Commelina species compete for pollinators so it is rare two species grow in the same area. Although there are both C. communis and C. erecta growing fairly close to one another in the one lot, they are not growing among each other. I am wondering if they have adapted in that area and somehow C. erecta thinks open bracts attracts more pollinators and C. communis thinks it is better off with closed bracts. Hmmm…

Seriously, though, I think when a second and third flower appear from the same bract it will open all the way. That’s my opinion…

Good photo of the three sterile anthers with the reddish-brown spots.

As I mentioned earlier, there are two varieties of Commelina communis. One, being Commelina communis var. communis, which is the “type specimen” or closest to the species. This may be the first to be discovered and why it is the “type specimen.” The other variety, Commelina communis var. ludens, is harder to explain because there isn’t much about it online….

The above photo shows two spent flowers and visible ovaries which will turn into fruit that produce the seeds.

I was having some difficulty figuring out the species and why they looked different in different areas. I decided to go back to the library and check out Seyermark’s Flora of Missouri AGAIN to see what it had to say about Commelina communis. I cannot quote what Steyermark’s Flora of Missouri says because of copyright laws, but I can get close. 🙂

Like a couple of babies…

For so long I never really understood how a species can have a variety with the same name such as Commelina communis var communis. Steyermark’s refers to this variety as the “common var. communis” and says their upper petals are 10-15 mm long, has glabrous leaf sheaths, its anthers, false anthers and staminodes are all yellow. Hmmm… Commelina communis has basically the same description, of course, with 8-16 mm upper petals. Oh yeah, it says their flowers are blue OR less commonly purple… PLUS, he writes the false anthers “lack a reddish-brown spot”…

NOW WAIT A MINUTE!!!

How come he said the false anthers lack reddish-brown spots when that is one of the distinguishing features of Commelina communis?!?!?!?! I was already confused enough!

 As far as the other variety, Commelina communis var. ludens, is concerned… Steyermark’s says this variety has “purple” upper petals, 8-10 mm long, PLUS the anthers and false anthers have purplish-brown spots in the middle of the staminodes.

While Commelina communis var. ludens is an accepted infraspecific name, many believe it should be considered synonymous with C. communis because of the difficulty in distinguishing the two. It is a highly variable species… Some say Commelina communis var. ludens have darker and larger flowers, and this and that…

I will also point out that botanical terminology and descriptions can make one scratch their hair out (which is one reason I shave my head). The author of the Wikipedia article (see link below) did an AWESOME job explaining the scientific terminology.

Commelina communis is considered an annual plant with slender, fibrous roots. Stems are fairly erect until they get longer then they become descending or decumbent (sprawly) and they can root at the leaf nodes. The sheaths on the leaf nodes can be glaucous and have white hairs near the tips. Leaves are kind of lance-shaped (lanceolate) to narrowly ovate. The spathelike bracts the flowers emerge from are “supposed to be” open, like a taco. They are folded so the lower edge is actually the midrib. If they were unfolded they would be heart-shaped.

The flowers… Well, as I mentioned, they are normally blue and purple is quite rare. All websites say one of the distinguishing features of “the species” is the reddish-brown spots in the center of the staminodes on the anthers and false anthers. But, in light of what Steyermark’s says, that may not always be the case.

So, for argument’s sake and to make it simple, let’s assume that Commelina communis have two upper blue petals and a smaller white lower petal, reddish-brown spots on the staminodes of the anthers and false anthers, and the spathelike bracts are supposed to be open the entire length.

If you find flowers that are purple, congratulations and you should report them. If you find flowers that are light blue with no dark spots and fused spathelike bracts, it is likely you have found Commelina erecta. If you have found Dayflowers with three blue petals, they are likely Commelina caroliniana, Commelina diffusa, or perhaps Commelina virginica…

Over the past couple of years I have only seen the Commelina communis growing next to the lagoon and around the house. I haven’t seen a single Commelina diffusa or C. erecta since 2019…

I also have a page for Commelina diffusa (Spreading Dayflower) and Commelina erecta (Whitemouth Dayflower) if you are interested.

I have enjoyed photographing and learning about the many wildflowers growing on the family farm and in other areas. I have grown over 500 different plants and identified over 250 species of wildflowers (most have pages listed on the right side of the blog). I am not an expert, botanist, or horticulturalist. I just like growing, photographing, and writing about my experience. I rely on several websites for ID and a horticulturalist I contact if I cannot figure them out. Wildflowers can be somewhat variable from location to location, so sometimes it gets a bit confusing. If you see I have made an error, please let me know so I can correct what I have written.

I hope you found this page useful and be sure to check the links below for more information. They were written by experts and provide much more information. If you can, I would appreciate it if you would click on the “Like” below and leave a comment. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. You can also send an email to me at thebelmontrooster@yahoo.com. I would enjoy hearing from you.

FOR FURTHER READING:
PLANTS OF THE WORLD ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
INTERNATIONAL PLANT NAMES INDEX (GENUS/SPECIES)
TROPICOS (GENUS/SPECIES)
FLORA OF MISSOURI (GENUS/SPECIES)
FLORA OF NORTH AMERICA (GENUS/SPECIES)
WORLD FLORA ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
WIKIPEDIA (GENUS/SPECIES)
USDA PLANTS DATABASE
iNATURALIST
DAVE’S GARDEN
MISSOURI PLANTS
MSU-MIDWEST WEEDS AND WILDFLOWERS
ILLINOIS WILDFLOWERS
MINNESOTA WILDFLOWERS
KANSAS WILDFLOWERS AND GRASSES
WILDFLOWERSEARCH.ORG
PFAF (PLANTS FOR A FUTURE)
IOWA PLANTS
HOME, YARD & GARDEN PEST NEWSLETTER
WILD FOODIES

NOTE: The data may not match on these websites. It depends on when and how they make updates and when their sources make updates. Some websites have hundreds and even many thousands of species to keep up with. Accepted scientific names change periodically and it can be hard to keep with as well. Some of the links may use a name that is a synonym on other sites. In my opinion, Plants of the World Online by Kew is the most reliable and up-to-date plant database and they make updates on a regular basis. I make updates at least once a year and when I write new pages or add new photos but I do get behind. We are all a work in progress. 🙂