DAYFLOWER
File Size: 59 KB
 
Commelina communis  L.
Konza Prairie, Riley County, Kansas
Annual
Height: 6-32 inches
Family: Commelinaceae - Spiderwort Family
Flowering Period:   July, August, September
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.

Dayflower
53 KB
Konza Prairie, Riley County, Kansas