Commelina communis L., Commelinaceae

Click on an image for links to BIGGER PICTURES

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
Canada Canada	Canada (country)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011) Ontario, Quebec
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011) Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku
North Korea North Korea	North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
South Korea South Korea	South Korea (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Washington)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)

Control: 

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

Additional information:
Fact sheet from Purdue University.
Information from "Invasive Plants of Asian Origin Established in the US and Their Natural Enemies".
Information and photos from Illinois Wildflowers.
Information and photos from Missouri Plants.
Information and photos from Virginia Tech.

Additional online information about Commelina communis is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Commelina communis as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Commelina communis may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 2011. Flora of North America North of Mexico (online edition).

U. S. Government. 2011. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2011. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong. 2011. Flora of China (online resource).