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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.
Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: 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: BlueBloom Time: Jul , Aug , Sep
Distribution
USA: AZ , CO , NM , TXNative Distribution: W. TX, NM, AZ & Mex.
Native Habitat: Rocky, woodland openings
Growing Conditions
Light Requirement: Part ShadeSoil 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 CenterWeb 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 PlantsFNA: Find Commelina dianthifolia in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Commelina dianthifolia
Metadata
Record Modified: 2023-02-01Research By: TWC Staff