Commelina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 Commelina communis
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Commelina is a genus of almost two hundred species, generally called "dayflowers" due to the short lives of their flowers. The genus is named for the resemblance of the Kommelijn family, of whose three children two flourished and one died early, to the flowers, of whose three petals two are blue and one withers.
Selected species:
- Commelina benghalensis - Tropical spiderwort
- Commelina communis - Asiatic Dayflower
- Commelina diffusa - Spreading Dayflower
- Commelina erecta - Erect Dayflower
- Commelina sellowiana - Blue Spider Wort
- Commelina tuberosa
- Commelina virginica - Virginia Dayflower
The Asiatic Dayflower (Commelina communis) is a common weed in the northeastern United States. It grows happily in fairly urban environments, often colonizing neglected gardens. It can often be seen growing among garden periwinkle plants, perhaps because the superficial similarity of their stems and leaves makes it harder to weed out.
Several species, especially Commelina benghalensis, are eaten as a leaf vegetable in Southeast Asia and Africa.
It grows in places with some sun exposure, especially with partial shade or light shade. The flowers are medium blue and the foliage evergreen.
Plants in this genus are attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds. They have average watering needs -- it should be watered regularly in order to have consistently moist soil, but should not be overwatered, nor the soil should be let dry out between waterings.
