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COMMELINACEA. (SPIDERWORT FAMILY.) 
Herbs, with fibrous or sometimes thickened roots, jointed and often 
branching leafy stems, flat (ovate, lanceolate or linear) parallel-veined 
leaves sheathing at base. chiefly perfect and 6-androus (often irregular) 
flowers, perianth free from the 2 or 3-celled ovary, distinct persistent 
calyx, and corolla of ephemeral or deciduous petals, one style, undi- 
vided stigma, and a 3 to several-seeded pod. 
* Perfect stamens 3, 
1. Commelina. Cymes sessile within a cordate or connate bract: petals unequal : 
filaments naked. 
** Perfect stamens 6, usually with bearded filaments: petals equal. 
2, Tradescantia. Cymes not prolonged or scorpioid, 
8. Tinantia. Cymes prolonged and scorpioid., 
1. COMMELINA Dill. (DAY-FLOWER.) 
Stems branching, with leaves contracted at base into sheathing 
petioles, the floral one cordate-clasping and folded together or hooded 
and enclosing the ephemeral irregular blue flowers, somewhat colored 
unequal sepals (the two lateral partly united), the two lateral petals 
rounded or reniform on long claws (the other smaller), unequal 
stamens (the sterile with cross-shaped anthers), and a 3-celled pod (2 
of the cells 2-seeded, the other 1-seeded or abortive). 
*Ventral cell 2-ovnled (usually 2-seeded), the dorsal 1-ovuled. 
+ Margins of the spathe not united. 
1. C. nudiflora .. Slender and creeping, glabrous: leaves lanceolate, small (2.5 
to 5em. long): spathe cordate, acute: seeds reticulated. (C. communis Chapin. )— 
Extending from the Atlantic States into Texas. 
2. C. dianthifolia DC. Slender, erect, from a tuberous root: leaves linear: 
spathe cordate and long-attenuate : seeds wrinkled or pitted, (C. linearis Benth. 
C. leiandra Clark.)—From the Pecos to the copper mines of New Mexico. 
+ + Margins of the spathe united, 
8 C. hirtella Vahl. Stems erect, 6 to 12 din, high: leaves large, lanceolate, the 
sheaths brown-bearded: spathes crowded: seeds smooth, (C. eresta of Gray and 
Chapman,)—Extending from the Atlantic States to Texas. 
* * Cells t-oruled, with 1 smooth seed: spathe cuceullate. 
4. C. Virginica L. Slender, usually tall, from a fleshy subtuberous root: leaves 
lanceolate to linear; dorsal cell indehiscent, scabrous.—Moist thickets and borders 
of rivers, southern and southwestern Texas. 
5. C. erecta L. Slender, often low, from a subtuberous root: leaves linear: cells 
all dehiscent.—Extending from the Gulf States into Texas, 
2. TRADESCANTIA L. (SpIDERWORT.) 
Perennials, with leafy subsimple mucilaginous stems, keeled leaves 
(the floral almost as in Commelina), ephemeral umbellate-clustered axil- 
lary and terminal regular flowers, herbaceous sepals, similar ovate ses- 
sile petals, stamens all fertile, and the 2 or 3-celled pod 2-seeded. 
