Commelinaceae

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Commelinaceae

Tradescantia in flower

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Liliopsida
Order:	Commelinales
Family:	Commelinaceae Mirb. (1804)

Genera

see text

Commelinaceae is a botanical name for a family of flowering plants, also known as the spiderwort family. The family has always been recognized by most taxonomists.

The APG II system of 2003 (unchanged from the APG system of 1998), also recognizes this family, and assigns it to the order Commelinales in the clade commelinids in the monocots. The family counts several hundred species of herbaceous plants. Many are cultivated as ornamentals. The stems of these plants are generally well-developed, and often swollen at the nodes. Flowers are short-lived, lasting for a day or less.

[edit] Genera

The family is divided in two subfamilies, 40 genera and 652 species (as of August 2005):

Commelinoideae: 38 genera and 640 species:
- Aetheolirion
- Amischotolpe
- Aneilema: 65 species
- Anthericopsis
- Belosynapsis
- Buforrestia
- Callisia
- Cochliostema
- Coleotrype
- Commelina: 170 species
- Cyanotis: 50 species
  - Cyanotis somalensis, in eastern Africa
- Dichorisandra
- Dictyospermum
- Elasis
- Floscopa
- Geogenanthus
- Gibasis
- Gibasoides
- Matudanthus
- Murdannia: 50 species
- Palisota
- Plowmanianthus
- Pollia
- Polyspatha
- Pseudoparis
- Rhopalephora
- Sauvallea
- Siderasis
- Spatholirion
- Stanfieldiella
- Streptolirion
- Thyrsanthemum
- Tinantia
- Tradescantia: 70 species. Includes the species formerly classified in the genera Campelia, Cymbispatha, Mandonia, Neomandonia, Neotreleasea, Rhoeo, Separotheca, Setcreasea, Treleasea and Zebrina.
- Tricarpelema
- Tripogandra
- Weldenia
Cartonematoideae: two genera and 12 species.
- Cartonema
- Triceratella, in Zimbabwe.