Commelina erecta L.

Global description

Commelina erecta is a very branched vivacious plant. The aerial stems root at the nodes, they are thick. First, they spread out and then recover. Underground stems are simple and without flower. Leaves simple alternate along the stem. They are subsessile, with two small round auricles at the top of the ochrea, both sides are glabrous, with some fine white hairs at the base of the margin and at the top of the ochrea, they have parallel veins. The flowers are pale blue to white. They are wrapped in a small triangular leaf piece whose edges are welded at the back and the faces are dotted with white hairs. The fruit has three cells containing a total of 3 seeds.

First leaves

The first leaves are elliptical in shape, 3 cm long and 2 cm wide, subsessile. Wavy margin, rarely pubescent blade, parallel veins. Presence of two small rounded auricles at the top of the ochrea and lined with white hairs.

General habit

Vivacious plant with decumbent port. It develops in patches. It measures 15 to 40 cm in height.

Underground system

The fibrous white roots are fasciculate at the base, also appearing at the nodes in contact with the ground. Presence of simple rhizomatous stems, covered with scales and without underground flowers (which differentiates this species of C. benghalensis).

Stem

The aerial stem is cylindrical, crassulescent and glabrous, 7 mm in diameter. Cylindrical in shape, it is kneeed and branched. The underground, rhizomatous stems are not branched. They are thinner than aerial stems, white and covered with brown scales corresponding to leaf sheaths.

Leaf

The leaves are simple and alternate, oval to lanceolate, light green, more or less fleshy, 3 to 5 cm long and 1 to 3 cm wide. The limb is sessile to subsessile but not pseudopetiolated. The top is acute and the base rounded to attenuated. The summit of the ochrea has two rounded auricles. The base of the margin of the limb and the auricles are provided with white hairs. Ochrea is membranous, cylindrical, surrounding the stem, finely pubescent with some white hairs at the top. Numerous and parallel ribs. Both sides of the limb are glabrous, the margin is more or less wavy.

Inflorescence

The inflorescence is composed of 2 aerial flowers inserted into a triangular leafy spathe of 2.5 to 3.5 cm long and 2 cm high, the back of the spathe is welded. The outer faces of the spathe are covered with short, long, multicellular, white hairs. The flowers bloom outside the spathe one after the other.

Flower

The 2 flowers of the same spathe are borne by the same fibrous pedicel. They are formed of 3 whitish membranous sepals, the two anterior partially welded. The three petals are light blue to almost white. 2 conspicuous lateral petals with large rounded to reniform terminal lobe, 10-15 mm wide with a base narrowed into a linear base; 1 central petal rounded, very reduced, sessile and of whitish color. 3 stamens with long filet and multilobed anthers and 3 sterile staminodes. 3 long-style pistils ending in a butt and with a globular stigma.

Fruit

The fruit is a capsule 4 to 5 mm long, with 3 cells (2 dehiscent ventral cells, 1 indehiscent dorsal box) containing 3 seeds.

Seed

The seeds are 3 in number per capsule. Grayish brown in shape ellipsoidal, a little flattened, 2.4 to 3.5 mm long and 2.3 to 2.8 mm wide. Smooth, finely reticulated, glabrous or puberulent tegument.

Origin

Commelina erecta is native to the tropical regions of Central America and South America.

Worldwide distribution

The species is present in all tropical regions of Central and South America, the West Indies and also in West Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa.

https://www.gbif.org/species/2764389