Commelina erecta

Commelina erecta
Commelina erecta in an Israeli garden

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
(unranked): Commelinids
Order: Commelinales
Family: Commelinaceae
Subfamily: Commelinoideae
Tribe: Commelineae
Genus: Commelina
Species: C. erecta
Binomial name
Commelina erecta
L., Sp. Pl. 1: 41. 1753.
Synonyms

Commelina elegans Kunth
Commelina pohliana Seub.
Commelina sulcata Willd.
Commelina virginica auct. non L.
Commelina virginica L. var. australis C.B.Clarke[2]

Commelina erecta, commonly known as the white mouth dayflower or slender dayflower, is a perennial herb native throughout the Americas, Africa and western Asia. It is considered to be the most variable species of Commelina in North America. Fernald recognized three varieties, but Robert B. Faden has questioned their significance.

Distribution and habitat

Commelina erecta is native to much of the world, including the Americas, Africa and western Asia. In the Americas it is present in the United States, the West Indies, every country of Central America and south through the tropics into Argentina. In the United States it can be found from New York and Nebraska in the north, south to Florida and Texas.[3] In the West Indies it is present throughout Puerto Rico and on several of the Virgin Islands such as Saint Croix, Saint Thomas, Saint John, George Dog Island, Anegada, Great Camanoe, Guana Island, Tortola and Water Island.[4]

In tropical Africa the plant is also widespread. In west Africa it is present in Senegal, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Benin, Nigeria, and Bioko.[5]

In the West Indies it is common in disturbed sites as well as in dry to moist woods from sea level up to 1300 meters.[4]

References

  1. "Commelina erecta". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved 2007-12-12.
  2. De Egea, J.; Pena-Chocarro, M.; Espada, C.; Knapp, S. (2012). "Checklist of vascular plants of the Department of Ñeembucú, Paraguay". PhytoKeys. 9 (9): 15–179. PMC 3281576Freely accessible. PMID 22371688. doi:10.3897/phytokeys.9.2279.
  3. Faden, Robert (2006), "Commelina erecta", in Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+, Flora of North America online, 22, New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press, retrieved 2007-12-12
  4. 1 2 Acevedo-Rodriguez, Pedro; Strong, Mark T. (2005), "Monocotyledons and Gymnosperms of Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands", Contributions of the United States National Herbarium, 52: 158
  5. Brenan, J.P.M. (1968), "Commelinaceae", in Hutchinson, J.; Dalziel, J.M., Flora of West Tropical Africa, 3, pp. 49–50

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