Murdannia nudiflora (L.) Brenan, Commelinaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Aneilema nudiflorum (L.) R. Br.; Commelina nudiflora L.

Common name(s): [more details]

Bontoc: katkatauang

Chinese: luo hua shui zhu ye

English: dayflower, nakedstem dewflower, spreading dayflower

Fijian: luna

French: herbe aux archons

Ibatan: kohasi

Ifugao: bangar na lalake

Iloko: kolasi

Samoan: ma‘u‘ua toga

Spanish: cohitre, comelina, maclalillo

Tagalog: alikbangon

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Unbranched to many-branched annual herbs; stems often rooting at the nodes, 0.8-3 dm long.  Leaves linear to linear-lanceolate, 1.5-7 (-18) cm long, 0.3-0.8 cm wide.  Flowers perfect, slightly zygomorphic, terminal and/or axillary in long-pedunculate, solitary or fasiciculate, few-flowered cymes, bracteoles caducous; sepals 2-3 mm long; petals pinkish purple or violet, 3-3.5 (-6) mm long; stamens 2, staminodes 4.  Capsules 2.5-5 mm long.  Seeds 2 per cell, 1.3-1.8 mm long, deeply pitted"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1380).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "naturalized in disturbed, mesic sites" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1380). In Papua New Guinea "A plant of dampish situations, found as a weed of gardens, lawns, cultivation, roadsides and headlands; usually under partial shade at low altitudes, but at higher altitudes sun-tolerant."  (Henty & Pritchard, 1975; p. 27).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Asia, naturalized in North and tropical America" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1380).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island	introduced invasive	Setchell, William Albert (1924) (p. 108) As Commelina nudiflora L.
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Dublon (Tonowas) Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 98)
Federated States of Micronesia Yap Islands	Yap (Waqab) Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 98)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 98)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1380) Voucher cited: Degener 33371 (BISH)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 98)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2007) (voucher ID: PTBG 46972) Taxon name on voucher: Murdannia nudiflora (L.) Brenan
Papua New Guinea Bismarck Archipelago	Bismarck Archipelago		Peekel, P. G. [translated by E. E. Henty] (1984) (p. 78)
Papua New Guinea Bougainville Islands	Bougainville Island		Foreman, D. B. (1971) (p. 23)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	invasive	Henty, E. E./Pritchard, G. H. (1975) (p. 27) From near sea level to at least 1800 m.
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Waterhouse, D. F. (1993) (pp. 67, 78)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Merrill, Elmer D. (1925) (p. 195) In open grasslands, waste places, etc., at low and medium altitudes, often common.
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	native	Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 92)
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Vava‘u Island		Burkill, I. H. (1900) (p. 57)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)		Hafliger, E. (1092) (p. 108)
China China	China (People's Republic of)		Hafliger, E. (1092) (p. 108)
China China	Hong Kong	native	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (pp. 303-304) On grassland.
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Holm, Leroy G./Plucknett, D. L./Pancho, J. V./Herberger, J. P. (1977) (p. 231)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)		Waterhouse, D. F. (1993) (pp. 67, 78)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)		Waterhouse, D. F. (1993) (pp. 67, 78)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	introduced invasive	Holm, Leroy G./Plucknett, D. L./Pancho, J. V./Herberger, J. P. (1977) (p. 231)
Negara Brunei Darussalam Brunei	Brunei (Negara Brunei Darussalam)		Waterhouse, D. F. (1993) (pp. 67, 78)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	uncertain if introduced invasive	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 62) Weed of uncertain origin
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island		Holm, Leroy G./Plucknett, D. L./Pancho, J. V./Herberger, J. P. (1977) (p. 231)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)		Waterhouse, D. F. (1993) (pp. 67, 78)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)		Waterhouse, D. F. (1993) (pp. 67, 78)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island		Holm, Leroy G./Plucknett, D. L./Pancho, J. V./Herberger, J. P. (1977) (p. 235)

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

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

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

References:

Burkill, I. H. 1900. The flora of Vavau, one of the Tonga Islands, with a short account of its vegetation by Charles Steele Crosby. Lin. Jour. Bot. 35:20-65.

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.

Foreman, D. B. 1971. A check list of the vascular plants of Bougainville, with descriptions of some common forest trees. Botany Bulletin No. 5. Division of Botany, Department of Forests. Lae, New Guinea. 194 pp.

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

Hafliger, E. 1092. Monocot Weeds 3. CIBA-GEIGY Ltd., Basle, Switzerland. 132 pp. plus plates.

Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. 1988. Flora of the Solomon Islands. Research Bulletin No. 7. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Honiara. 203 pp.

Henty, E. E./Pritchard, G. H. 1975. Weeds of New Guinea and their control. 2nd edition. Department of Forests, Division of Botany, Botany Bull. No. 7. Lae, Papua New Guinea. 180 pp.

Holm, Leroy G./Plucknett, D. L./Pancho, J. V./Herberger, J. P. 1977. The world’s worst weeds: distribution and biology. East-West Center/University Press of Hawaii. 609 pp.

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

National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.). 2007. Voucher specimen #PTBG46972(M. J. Balick 4425).

Parham, J. W. 1958. The weeds of Fiji. Department of Agriculture, Fiji. Bulletin No. 35. 196 pp.

Peekel, P. G. [translated by E. E. Henty]. 1984. Flora of the Bismarck Archipelago for naturalists. Office of Forests, Division of Botany, Lae, Papua New Guinea. 638 pp. ISBN 9980-66-000-7.

Setchell, William Albert. 1924. American Samoa; part I. Vegetation of Tutuila Island. part II. Ethnobotany of the Samoans. part III. Vegetation of Rose Atoll. The Carnegie Institution of Washington. 275 pp. + illus.

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

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Waterhouse, D. F. 1993. The major arthropod pests and weeds of agriculture in Southeast Asia. The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, Canberra. 141 pp.

Wu, Te-lin. 2001. Check List of Hong Kong Plants. Hong Kong Herbarium and the South China Institute of Botany. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Bulletin 1 (revised). 384 pp.

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