ADDISONIA 39 
(Plate 20) 
COMMELINA COMMUNIS 
Asiatic Day-flower 
Native of eastern Asia 
Family COMMELINACEAE SPIDERWORT Family 
Commelina communis L. Sp. Pl. 40. 1753. 
An annual, rather fleshy herb, nearly et and bright green 
throughout, forming in late summer and early autumn dense luxuri- 
ant colonies adorned with odd seemingly ee spetaled sky-blue 
flowers. The jointed stems are much branched; from a creeping 
base, rooting at each joint, they soon become ascending or upright, 
one to three feet in length. The numerous spreading alternate 
leaves are borne on petioles which form about the stem loose sheaths 
an inch long, with margins fringed with whitish hairs; the blades 
are slightly fleshy, three to five inches long, with numerous parallel 
veins, s mooth or roughish and deep green above, rough on the 
i smooth and slightly paler beneath, lanceolate in outline, 
tapering gradually to an attenuate point. The flowers are in 
peduncled clusters. Each cluster bears at its base a sheathing 
orbicular or heart-shaped leaf, the spathe, the two halves of which 
fold together so as to enclose the maturing and mature fruit. The 
inflorescence is of two stalks, one erect, projecting from the spathe, 
bearing a flower which opens the first but never sets fruit, the other 
horizontal within the spathe, bearing an umbel of three or four 
short-pedicelled flowers. These flowers open serially on successive 
days; as buds they are decurved below the common peduncle, as 
flowers they are slightly exserted from the spathe, and as maturing 
fruits they are reflexed above the peduncle; they all mature fruit. 
The three sepals of each flower are ovate, rounded at apex, greenish- 
white, less than a quarter-inch long, the upper smaller and narrower. 
The two upper petals are nearly one half inch long, spreading, 
broadly rounded, rich caerulean blue, borne upon stalk-like bases; 
the lower petal is sities smaller, lanceolate, translucent white. 
There are six stamens, two of which have long upcurved filaments 
a larger anther, artly nag om but partly transformed into 
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shortest, all bearing an 
itevile foie yellene lobes. The style is slender, upcurved, and 
minute stigma. The fruit is an oblong glabrous two-celled 
capsule, eats cell of which contains two roughish gray seeds. 
This interesting plant was known in European Gardens before 
1700, and by Dillenius, who knew it in the Sherard garden at Eltham, 
