Commelina erecta
Family: Commelinaceae
Plant Description: Perennial with sprawling or spreading stems to 60 cm or longer. Leaves alternate. Flowers bilateral, emerging from a folded bract, te edges grown together at the base; petals 3, blue, with 2 larger and one small pale one. Flowers open in early morning and usually wilt by midday.
Field Identification: we have 2 subspecies of C. erecta: C. erecta erecta baldes of middle and upper leaves broadly oblong-lanceolate, while C. erecta augustifolia the blades of middle and upper leaves narrowly oblong-laneolate
Plant Trivia: This species fits the classification conundrum of “lumpers” and “splitters.” C. erecta is most common of the Commelina found growing in flower beds due to its tenaceous fleshy roots.
Occurrence: Frequent on sandy and clayey loams or caliche in pastures and wooded steams, manly in western half of the s area.
Bloom Period: Spring-Fall
Plant Use:
Key to the Genus Commelina::
- All petals blue………………………………………..C. diffusa
Smaller petals white……………………………...C. erecta
