SPIDERWORT FAMILY. 37J 



i. COMMELINA L. Sp. PI. 40. 1733. 



Erect ascending or procumbent, somewhat succulent, branching herb*, with nort t>rt> 

 oled or sessile leaves, and irregular mostly blue flowers in tr**ile cyme* s*btdd by 

 spathe-like bracts. Sepals somewhat unei|iial, the larger ones lonntllim alivbllr 

 Petals blue, unequal, 2 of them larger than the third. Perfect stamens j. rarely t. owof 

 them incurved and its anther commonly larger. Sterile itiBUBI mu 

 anthers various. Filaments all glabrous. Capsule .vcclled. Seed* I or 3 in each cavity. 

 the testa firm, roughened, smooth or reticulated. [Dedicated to Kaspar ComOMlUi. 1*67- 

 1731, Dutch botanist.] 



About 95 species of wide distribution in warm and temperate region*. B4dts Ibr fbllovtsw. 



some 3 others occur in the southern I'nited St.iti - 



Ventral cavities of the ovary 2-ovuled, the dorsal I -muled 

 Capsule 3-celled, commonly .vscedcd. 



Creeping, glabrous or nearly so: margins ,,f the .pathr n..t ur. i u Jijlff*. 



Stout, erect, the sheaths bearded; margins <,f the vj,.,tii, , 

 Capsule 2-celled, ^-seeded. .mn 



cavities of the ovary only i-ovuled. 

 Cavities of the capsule all dehiscent. 

 I)orsal cavity of the capsule inde hi scent. 



i. Commelina nudiflora L. Creep- 

 ing Day-flower. (Fig. 905.) 



Cnnmcliiia nudiflora L. Sp. PI. 41. 1753. 

 Connnelina com muni's Walt. Fl. Car. 68. 1788. 

 Not L. 1753. 



Hit'lina agraria Kunth. Enum. 4: 3.**. 1.^43. 



Glabrous or very nearly so throughout, 

 is procumbent or creeping, rooting at 

 the nodes, i-2^ long. Leaves lanceolate 

 or ovate-lanceolate, i'-3' long, 4 // -8 // wide, 

 acute or acuminate at the apex, their sheaths 

 sometimes ciliate; spathe acute or acumi- 

 nate, 8 // -i2 // long, pcduncled, the 2 bracts 

 not united by their margins; flowers few in 

 each spathe, 3 // -6 // broad; ventral cells of 

 the ovary 2-ovuled, the dorsal i-ovuled; 

 capsule commonly 5-seeded (2 seeds in each 

 of the ventral cells, i in the dorsal); seeds 

 oblong, reticulated, about \" long. 



Along stre-ims and in waste places. New Jer- 

 to Indiana and Missouri, south to Florida, 

 is and through tropical America to Para- 

 guay. Widely distributed in Asia and Africa. 

 July-Oct. 



2. Commelina hirtella Vahl. Bearded I)ay-ll\\\-r. 



Commflina 



V "<* *- 



hirtella Vahl I> 



r,v/.i A C,ny. Mn. Bd. t. |M. 



Nut I.. : 



Stem stout, erect or uceoding. a*-4* 

 Leaves lanceolate, acuminate, roofhbli 

 long, \'-\W w<le, tlu-ir *hc: lof. 



fringed with rather stiff and long brownhh tafa 

 and sometimes pubescent; spmthes se0t or ! 

 peduncled, often clustcrwl at the ummiU o< 

 stem and branches, the a brct 

 their margins, rather strongly cro-Ttid; 

 tral cells of the ov 'he otfc 



ovuled; capsule 5-seeded; ieed ellipwid. 

 somewhat more than t" long, smooth, mtnolrl 

 puberulent. 



In moist soil, southern New Jrr*rjr to Xfamri. 

 south to Florida and Tcxa. Ao - 



