Native Plants

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Loughmiller, Campbell and Lynn

Commelina dianthifolia

Commelina dianthifolia Delile

Birdbill Dayflower, Bird-bill Dayflower

Commelinaceae (Spiderwort Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: CODI4

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

Only partial erect, the succulent stems of this dayflower are branched profusely. Bright-green leaves are long and narrow. Flowers with 3 broad purple or blue petals protruding from a broad folded spathe atop a leaning or erect, branched stem with narrow leaves. Showy, blue three-petaled flowers occur singly or in clusters at branch ends and from leaf axils. Each flower is open a single morning. The plant is usually no taller than 10 in.

Dayflowers are so named because a single flower appears outside the leaf-like bract every few days, opening near dawn and wilting by midday.

From the Image Gallery

11 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Venation: Parallel
Leaf Margin: Entire
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: Up to about 10 inches tall, occasionally taller.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Blue
Bloom Time: Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct , Nov

Distribution

USA: AZ , CO , NM , TX
Native Distribution: W. TX, NM, AZ & Mex.
Native Habitat: Rocky, woodland openings

Growing Conditions

Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
Soil Description: Moist, rocky soils.

Propagation

Description: Propagate by seed.
Commercially Avail: yes

Wildflower Center Seed Bank

LBJWC-1222 Collected 2008-09-25 in Jeff Davis County by Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

1 collection(s) available in the Wildflower Center Seed Bank

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Commelina dianthifolia in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Commelina dianthifolia in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Commelina dianthifolia

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-02-01
Research By: TWC Staff

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