Commelina cyanea

Commelina cyanea
Stem and flower
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Commelinales
Family: Commelinaceae
Genus: Commelina
Species:
C. cyanea
Binomial name
Commelina cyanea
Synonyms[2]

Commelina cyanea, commonly known as scurvy weed, is a perennial prostrate herb of the family Commelinaceae native to moist forests and woodlands of eastern Australia,[3] Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. The blue flowers appear over the warmer months and are pollinated by bees and flies.

Taxonomy

Commelina cyanea was one of the many species initially described by the botanist Robert Brown in his 1810 work Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen and still bears its original name.[4][1]

Etymology

The genus name Commelina was chosen based on the Asiatic dayflower. Linnaeus picked the name in honour of the Dutch botanists Jan and Caspar Commelijn, using the two large showy petals of Commelina communis to symbolise them.[5][failed verification] The specific name is the Latin adjective cyaneus, meaning "blue". As well as scurvy weed, alternative common names include (native) wandering Jew, forget-me-not,[1] and creeping Christian.[6]

Description

Commelina cyanea is a trailing herbaceous perennial plant, whose stems grow along the ground. It readily roots at the nodes when they come into contact with the soil. They die off in winter.[7] The leaves are ovate to narrow-ovate, and measure 2–7 cm (0.8–2.8 in) long by 5–15 mm (0.2–0.6 in) wide. The flowers can occur at any time from spring to autumn. They are deep blue and about 15 mm (0.6 in) in diameter, followed by a capsule bearing up to five seeds about 3 mm (0.1 in) long.[3][7]

Distribution and habitat

The species range is across eastern New South Wales, from Narooma northwards into Queensland, as well as Lord Howe Island. It grows in wetter shaded areas in forest habitats.[3][8]

Ecology

Commelina cyanea is pollinated by a variety of native bees such as Nomia aurantifer, Amegilla pulchra, halictid and colletid bees, and syrphid flies (genus Syritta).[9] Wallabies and rabbits eat the vegetation.[7] Vegetation is also possibly dispersed by water.[7]

Uses

The leaves were used by early non-indigenous colonists to alleviate scurvy, and hence its common name.[10]

Attractive in flower, Commelina cyanea adapts readily to cultivation and can be grown as a groundcover or in hanging baskets. It is easily propagated from cuttings.[11] It has a superficial resemblance (in morphology only) to the introduced weed wandering Jew (Tradescantia fluminensis), but is readily distinguished from the native by the variegated leaves and the white flowers. It also lacks the hairy leaf sheathes of the native.[12] C. cyanea can itself be weedy in gardens at times.[13]

  • Habit
    Habit
  • Foliage
    Foliage
  • Flowers
    Flowers
  • Stem
    Stem
  • Closeup of leaf sheath
    Closeup of leaf sheath
  • Stem, leaves and cyme
    Stem, leaves and cyme

References

  1. ^ a b c "Commelina cyanea". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Commelina cyanea R.Br". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2024. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Wilson, Peter G. (1993). "PlantNET - FloraOnline". PlantNET (The NSW Plant Information Network System). Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  4. ^ Brown, Robert (1810). Prodromus floræ Novæ Hollandiæ et Insulæ Van-Diemen : exhibens characteres plantarum quas annis 1802-1805. London: R. Taylor and Partners. p. 269. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  5. ^ Faden, Robert (2006), "Commelina diffusa", Flora of North America online, vol. 22, New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press, retrieved 21 June 2007
  6. ^ "Commelina cyanea". Friends of Lane Cove National Park. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d "Commelina cyanea". Ecology of Cumberland Plain Woodland. Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. Archived from the original on 29 March 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  8. ^ Rodd, A.N.; Pickard, John (1983). "Census of Vascular Flora of Lord Howe Island" (PDF). Cunninghamia. 1 (2): 267–280. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  9. ^ Williams, Geoff; Adam, Paul (2010). The Flowering of Australia's Rainforests: A Plant and Pollination Miscellany. Collingwood, Victoria: CSIRO publishing. p. 136. ISBN 978-0-643-09761-2.
  10. ^ "Commelina cyanea". Australian Native Plants Society (Australia). Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  11. ^ Elliot, R.W.; Jones, D.L.; Blake, T. (1984). Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants Suitable for Cultivation: Volume 3 - Ce-Er. Port Melbourne: Lothian Press. p. 62. ISBN 0-85091-167-2.
  12. ^ "Trad - "Tradescantia albiflora, T. zebrina, T. spathecea". Sydney Weeds Network. 13 January 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  13. ^ Fairley, A.; Moore, P. (2000). Native Plants of the Sydney District: An Identification Guide (2nd ed.). Kenthurst, NSW: Kangaroo Press. p. 325. ISBN 0-7318-1031-7.
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