Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Commelinales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Commelina diffusa
FAMILY
Commelinaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Learn more about Spreading Dayflower from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Commelina diffusa var. diffusa
FAMILY
Commelinaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Commelina diffusa var. diffusa
INCLUDED WITHIN Aquatic & Wetland Plants of Southeastern US (Godfrey & Wooten, 1979 & 1981)
Commelina diffusa
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 038-01-004:
Commelina diffusa FAMILY Commelinaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Commelina longicaulis
COMMON NAME:
Spreading Dayflower, Creeping Dayflower
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Jeff Ausmus jma_comdif6
April Osceola County FL
Stem decumbent or repent, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Jeff Ausmus jma_comdif5
July Monroe County MI
In cultivation
)
Gill Newberry gn08_c_diffusa_fl_closeup
August
Two large upper petals and a very small blue lower petal, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
Gill Newberry gn08_c_diffusa_fls
August
)
Gill Newberry gn08_c_diffusa_inf
August
Spathes are sickle-shaped (falcate) and their margins are not fused, per Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005).
)
Jeff Ausmus jma_comdif
September Monroe County MI
In cultivation
)
Jeff Ausmus jma_comdif2
September Monroe County MI
In cultivation
Leaf blades 1.5-5cm long × 0.5-1cm wide (rarely to 8 × 2.2cm), per Weakley's Flora (2020).
)
Jeff Ausmus jma_comdif4
October Monroe County MI
In cultivation
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Commelina diffusa
FAMILY
Commelinaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Commelina diffusa var. diffusa
FAMILY
Commelinaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Commelina diffusa var. diffusa
INCLUDED WITHIN
Aquatic & Wetland Plants of Southeastern US (Godfrey & Wooten, 1979 & 1981)
Commelina diffusa
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 038-01-004:
Commelina diffusa
FAMILY
Commelinaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Commelina longicaulis
357
Forb
Annual
Habitat: Mudflats, alluvial margins, bottomlands, also fields and disturbed ground, per Weakley's Flora
Native? Non-native? encountered very early inland, so plausible as native or early introduction
Common (rare in Mountains)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Blue
Bilaterally symmetrical
3-merous
3 sepals, the lateral two partly united
3 petals, the upper two large and the lowest smaller
3 fertile stamens, 3 sterile stamens
Superior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p158
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p371
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p342
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p394
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p005
- Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses (Murphy et al., 1992) p010
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".