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Commelina diffusa aquatica

Description

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Family Commelinaceae

Herbs annual or perennial , sometimes woody at base . Stems with prominent nodes and internodes. Leaves alternate, distichous or spirally arranged , sessile or petiolate ; leaf sheath prominent, open or closed ; leaf blade simple , entire . Inflorescence usually of cincinni in panicles or solitary, sometimes shortened into heads , sometimes sessile with flowers fascicled, sometimes axillary and penetrating enveloping leaf sheath, rarely flowers solitary and terminal or axillary. Flowers bisexual , rarely unisexual , actinomorphic or zygomorphic. Sepals 3, free or connate only at base, often boat-shaped or carinate , sometimes galeate at apex. Petals (2 or) 3, free, sometimes connate and tubular at middle and free at 2 ends ( Cyanotis), sometimes clawed. Stamens 6, free, all or only 2 or 3 fertile ; filaments glabrous or torulose villous ; anthers parallel or slightly divergent, longitudinally dehiscent , rarely dehiscent by apical pores ; staminodes 1--3; antherodes 4-lobed and butterflylike, 3-sect, 2-lobed and dumbbell-shaped, or entire. Ovary 3-loculed, or reduced to 2-loculed; ovules 1 to several per locule, orthotropous . Fruit a loculicidal, 2- or 3-valved capsule, rarely baccate and indehiscent. Seeds few, large; endosperm copious ; hilum orbicular or linear .

About 40 genera and 650 species: mainly in tropical regions , fewer species in subtropical and temperate regions ; 15 genera (two introduced ) and 59 species (12 endemic, three introduced) in China.Deyuan Hong & Robert A. DeFilipps "Commelinaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 24 Page 19. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.

Genus Commelina

Herbs, perennial or annual . Roots thin or tuberous . Leaves 2-ranked or spirally arranged , not glaucous; blade sessile or petiolate . Inflorescences terminal , leaf-opposed; cymes 1--2, enclosed in spathes , proximal cyme several-flowered, distal cyme vestigial or with 1--several staminate flowers ; spathes often filled with mucilaginous liquid, margins distinct or basally connate ; bracteoles usually absent. Flowers bisexual and staminate , bilaterally symmetric ; pedicels well developed; sepals distinct or proximal 2 connate, unequal; petals distinct, proximal petal often different color than distal 2, smaller or subequal , distal 2 blue (occasionally lilac, lavender, yellow, peach, apricot, or white), clawed; stamens (5--) 6, proximal 3 fertile , medial different in form, size from others, distal (2--) 3 staminodial; filaments glabrous ; antherodes commonly 4--6-lobed; ovary 2--3-locular, ovules 1--2 per locule, 1-seriate. Capsules 2--3-valved, 2--3-locular. Seeds 1--2 per locule; hilum linear ; embryotega lateral . x = 11--15.

Species ca. 170: almost worldwide, mainly tropical ."Commelina". in Flora of North America Vol. 22. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org.

Taxonomy

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Similar Species

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Members of the genus Commelina

There are approximately 461 species in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

C. acuminata · C. acutispatha · C. acutissima · C. aequinoctiale · C. aequinoctialis · C. aequinoxialis · C. aethiopica · C. africana · C. africana africana · C. africana var. karooica · C. agraria · C. agrostophylla · C. albescens · C. albiflora · C. alpestris · C. ambigua · C. amphibia · C. amplexicaulis · C. ancilema · C. angolensis · C. angustissima · C. appendiculata · C. aquatica · C. arenicola · C. ascendens · C. aspera · C. assurgens · C. attenuata · C. aurantiiflora · C. auriculata · C. avenifolia · C. axillaris · C. baidoensis · C. bainesii · C. bakueana · C. bambusifolia · C. bambusifolioides · C. bangii · C. barbata · C. beccariana · C. bella · C. benghalensis (Benghal Dayflower) · C. benghalensis 'Variegata' · C. benghalensis hirsuta · C. benghalensis L. var. benghalensis · C. benghaliensis · C. beniniensis · C. bequaertii · C. bianoensis · C. biflora · C. blumii · C. boehmiana · C. boissieriana · C. bracteolata · C. bracteosa · C. bravoa · C. bulbosa · C. caerulea · C. caespitosa · C. cajannensis · C. cameroonensis · C. canescens · C. cantonensis · C. capitata · C. cardiocephala · C. caripensis · C. caroliniana (Carolina Dayflower) · C. carsonii · C. cavaleriei · C. cayennensis · C. cecilae · C. chamissonis · C. chinensis · C. ciliata · C. claessensii · C. clandestina · C. clarkeana · C. clavata · C. coelestis (Blue Spider Wort) · C. coelestis 'Sleeping Beauty' · C. coelestis f. albipetala · C. coelestis var. bourgeaui · C. coelestris · C. communis (Asiatic Dayflower) · C. communis 'Aureostriata' · C. communis exserta · C. communis f. alba · C. communis f. aureostriata · C. communis f. ciliata · C. communis L. var. communis L. · C. communis L. var. ludens (Miq.) C.B.Clarke · C. communis var. communis · C. communis var. exserta · C. communis var. ludens · C. condensata · C. congesta · C. conspicua · C. corbisieri · C. coreana · C. corradii

Bibliography

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More Info

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Notes

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Identifiers

Footnotes

Last Revised: 2008-10-12