Scrambling Dayflower
Commelina diffusa
Its flowers open at dawn and literally melt into a wet, jelly-like substance by early afternoon, giving it the name 'dayflower'.
- Scientific name
- Commelina diffusa
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Liliopsida › Commelinales › Commelinaceae › Commelina
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Moist disturbed soils, riverbanks, wetlands, and agricultural fields
- Diet
- Photosynthetic (Sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide)
- Range
- North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Oceania
- Size
- Stems crawl up to 1 meter (3 feet) long, forming dense mats
- Lifespan
- Annual to short-lived perennial
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Intensive herbicide application and habitat concrete-locking in urban areas
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and safe to touch. Observe its delicate blue flowers in the morning. If foraging, ensure the area has not been sprayed with agricultural pesticides or herbicides.
Commelina diffusa , sometimes known as the climbing dayflower or spreading dayflower , is a pantropical herbaceous plant in the dayflower family. It has been introduced to the southeastern United States where it is most common in wet disturbed soils. There are two recognised varieties, one being the type and the other being C. diffusa var. gigas , which is native to Asia and has been introduced to Florida. It flowers from spring to fall and is most common...
Photo: Nathan Aaron, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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