DAYFLOWER
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| File Size: 59 KB |
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Commelina communis L.
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| Konza Prairie, Riley County, Kansas |
| Annual |
| Height: 6-32 inches |
| Family: Commelinaceae - Spiderwort Family |
| Flowering Period: July, August, September |
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| Stems: | | Erect at first, later prostrate creeping; glabrous to pubescent at nodes; often roots at nodes. | | Leaves: | | Lance-ovate, .6 to 4 inches long, .4 to 1.5 inches wide, waxy beneath, rough whitish-hairy above; tips pointed. | | Inflorescences: | | Few-flowered clusters. | | Flowers: | | 3-parted; enclosed by spathe; spathe leaf-like, .5 to 1.2 inch long, open across top and also down back side to where it attaches to stalk, usually pale with darker green veins; spathe stalks to 2.6 inches long; upper 2 petals larger and blue; lower petal smaller and white; stamens 6, 3 fertile, 3 sterile. | | Fruits: | | Capsules, 2-celled, 1/4 inch long, 1 or 2 seeds per cell; seeds minutely-pitted. | | Habitat: | | Stream banks and other moist, shaded areas. | | Distribution: | | East 1/3 of Kansas. | | Origin: | | Native to Asia; now naturalized. | | Comments: | | A common weed. The flowers bloom for one day, wilting into a moist, blue mass after a few hours. The flower can last longer on cloudy days or in shady settings. The plant produces several buds that open 3-4 days apart. | | | | See commelina erecta a closely related species. |
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| Dayflower |  | | 53 KB | | Konza Prairie, Riley County, Kansas |
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