Cyanotis cristata D. Don, Commelinaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, score: 5 (Go to the risk assessment).

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: si kong cao

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Stems tufted, lower part creeping, to about 50 cm tall; leaves rather broadly ovate, acute, sessile and somewhat clasping the stem at base, up to about 6 cm long and 2 cm wide, the sheaths and blades marginally pubescent; inflorescence short, borne from a series of crescent-shaped closely overlapping bracts with ciliate margins; flowers blue; stamens 6, all functional, the filaments pubescent; ovary 3-celled, cells usually 2-seeded"  (Stone, 1970; pp. 104-105).

"Herbs annual; roots fibrous. Stems creeping, often branched, 10-35 cm. Leaves all cauline; leaf blade oblong, lanceolate, ovate-lanceolate, or narrowly elliptic, 2-8 x 0.8-2 cm, abaxially glabrous or sparsely arachnoid. Cincinni often solitary, terminal or also axillary if 2 together; peduncle absent or to 9 cm; bracts 1-1.5 cm. Sepals connate at base, linear-lanceolate or oblanceolate, ca. 5 mm, abaxially hirsute along midvein and at margin. Petals blue or purple, 4-5 mm. Filaments blue lanate. Capsule columnar, trigonous, ca. 2.5 mm, hirsutulous at apex. Seeds gray-brown, pitted"  (Flora of China online).

Habitat/ecology:  In China, "by streams in ravines or open humid places; near sea level to 2000 m"  (Flora of China online).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Sikkim, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam  (Flora of China online).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	possibly introduced	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (pp. 104-105)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 98)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Merrill, Elmer D. (1925) (p. 198) In old clearings, open places along streams, about cliffs, etc., at low and medium altitudes.

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 (2011) By streams in ravines or open humid places; near sea level to 2000 m. W. Guangdong (Xinxing Xian), Guangxi, S.W. Guizhou, Hainan, Yunnan.
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	uncertain if introduced invasive	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 30) Weed of uncertain origin

Additional information:
Additional online information about Cyanotis cristata is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

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

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

References:

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 pp.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1987. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian monocotyledonae. Micronesica 20:1-126.

Merrill, Elmer D. 1925. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants, vol. 1 [reprint]. Bureau of Printing, Manila. 463 pp.

Stone, Benjamin C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6:1-659.

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