Commelina diffusa

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Commelina diffusa
Insert.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class: Liliopsida – Monocotyledons
Order: Commelinales
Family: Commelinaceae
Genus: Commelina
Species: C. diffusa
Binomial name
Commelina diffusa
Burm. f.
Comm diff dist.jpg
Natural range of Commelina diffusa from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common name: climbing dayflower

Taxonomic notes

Description

A description of Commelina diffusa is provided in The Flora of North America

Distribution

Ecology

Habitat

C. diffusa can be found in loamy lake shores; sandy loam of floodplains; seasonally flooded cypress domes; annually burned pine savannas; loamy sand in mesic flatwoods; wet margins of wax myrtle thickets; and pine-oak-beech-magnolia forests (FSU Herbarium). It has occurred in disturbed areas such as the banks of artificially filled lakes, lawns, roadsides, orange tree groves, unpaved parking lots, levees and ditches. It has been observed growing in loamy sand, sandy loam, oyster shell soil, and alluvial soils (FSU Herbarium). Associated species include Alternanthera, Polygonum, Carex, Hypoxis curtissii, Paspalum, Panicum, Alternanthera, Ludwigia, Murdannia, and Hydrolea (FSU Herbarium).

Phenology

Seed dispersal

Seed bank and germination

Fire ecology

Pollination

The following Hymenoptera families and species were observed visiting flowers of Commelina diffusa at Archbold Biological Station (Deyrup 2015):

Halictidae: Agapostemon splendens, Augochlorella gratiosa, Lasioglossum pectoralis

Use by animals

Diseases and parasites

Conservation and Management

Cultivation and restoration

Photo Gallery

References and notes

Deyrup, M.A. and N.D. 2015. Database of observations of Hymenoptera visitations to flowers of plants on Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA.