Commelina communis L., Commelinaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 21 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: ya zhi cao

English: Asiatic dayflower, common dayflower

French: comméline commune

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Herbs annual. Stems creeping, diffuse, numerous branched, to more than 1 m, glabrous proximally, puberulent distally. Leaf sheaths glabrous; leaf blade lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 3-9 x 1.5-2 cm, glabrous. Involucral bracts borne opposite leaves, with 1.5-4 cm long stalk, cordate, folded, 1.2-2.5 cm, often hirsute-ciliate, apex acute. Proximal branch of cincinni with peduncle ca. 8 mm and 1 or 2 male flowers, distal branch with short peduncle and 3 or 4 bisexual flowers, nearly included in involucral bracts; pedicels ca. 3 mm at anthesis, curved and less than 6 mm in fruit. Sepals ca. 5 mm, membranous. Petals dark blue, 9-10 mm except proximal one ca. 5 mm. Capsule ellipsoid, 5-7 mm, 2-valved. Seeds 2 per valve, brown-yellow, semiellipsoid, 2-3 mm, flat on 1 surface, irregularly pitted, truncate at 1 end"  (Flora of China online).

Habitat/ecology:  In North America, "weedy and waste places; edges of fields, woods, and marshes, often in thick herbaceous vegetation; occasionally in woods"  (Flora of North America online).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Georgia, the Russian far east, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan; cultivated and naturalized elsewhere (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013)
Japan Japan	Japan	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku
North Korea North Korea	North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South Korea South Korea	South Korea (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Taiwan Taiwan Island	Taiwan Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Washington)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Canada Canada	Canada	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013) Ontario, Quebec
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Control: 

Chemical:  See fact sheet from Purdue University for information on control.