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Commelina benghalensis

L. (1753)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Monocots Order: Commelinales Family: Commelinaceae Genus: Commelina

dayflower, hairy honohono

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Succulent perennial or annual herbs, from fibrous or occasionally tuber-like roots.

Stems: Stems prostrate or ascending, often rooting at the nodes, up to 4 dm long, pubescent.

Roots: Fibrous root system.

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate, spiralled. Blades lanceolate, ovate to broadly ovate, 3–5 cm long, 1.5–3 cm wide. Apex obtuse. Base abruptly contracted. Surfaces puberulent and +/- appressed pilose. Margins entire. Veins parallel. Sheaths 1–2 cm long, pilose and usually long–ciliate in upper part, the hairs rust–colored. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers 1–2, in leaf–opposed or terminal, few–flowered cymes subtended by a spathe-like bract, flowers exserted from the bract shortly after sunrise and open until midday. Flowers bisexual (perfect), hypogeous flowers sometimes present, margins of spathe connate at base, 1–1.5 cm long, peduncles ± exserted from spathe. Calyx of 3 sepals, 1 shorter, the lateral 2 sometimes connate. Corolla of 3 petals; petals pale blue, 4–5 mm long. Fertile stamens 3 on lower side of flower, with 2–3 staminodes above the fertile stamens. Ovary superior, 3-carpellate, 2–3-celled, 2 of the cells with 1–2 ovules, the other sterile or with 1 ovule.

Fruit: Capsules ellipsoid; 4--6 mm; 3-valved; posterior valve 1-seeded or seedless; indehiscent; other 2 valves each 2-seeded; dehiscen. Seeds 5 per capsule; transversely wrinkled.

Ploidy: 2n = 18; 22; 28; 30; 44; 48; 56; 66; 68

Habitat: naturalized in shaded; dry to mesic; disturbed sites.

Elevation Range: 3–200 m.

Historical Distribution

Uses and Culture

USES

  • Yes

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Kaua'i Naturalized
O'ahu Naturalized
Molokai Naturalized
Maui Naturalized
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Bibliography

Name Published In: Sp. Pl.: 41 (1753)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:1379 (K, O, M, H); Oppenheimer 2003:9 (Mo)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Commelina benghalensis Honolulu; Bishop Museum Courtyard Preserved_Specimen A weed + fruit, no flowers. Bishop, B. Oahu BISH 1964-05-04
2 Commelina benghalensis Hahaione Valley, mouth Dry ground near salt marsh. Preserved_Specimen Flowers cleistogamous and otherwise stems fleshy. Fosberg, F.R. 13546 Oahu BISH 1937-01-16
3 Commelina benghalensis Honolulu: Manoa Valley; Punahou area; 1940 Manoa Road Growing in sunny garden plot. Preserved_Specimen Prostrate weed; flower has shades of lavender, purple, and violet. Lau, J. 1531 Oahu BISH 1985-10-19
4 Commelina benghalensis Head of Mauuwaii Valley, Maunalua Dry rocky, brush slope Preserved_Specimen Flowers blue (cleistogamous ones white), stems fleshy. Fosberg, F.R. 13618 Oahu BISH 1937-03-07
5 Commelina benghalensis Honolulu; Punchbowl Common on dry roadside at top of hill. Preserved_Specimen Fosberg, F.R. 27131 Oahu BISH 1946-09-20
6 Commelina benghalensis Honolulu; Diamond Head Along jeep roads adjacent to rifle ranges. In shade of Leucaena and associated grasses. Preserved_Specimen Succulent, often rising 24 in. above ground. Nagata, K.M. 1214 Oahu BISH 1974-02-03
7 Commelina benghalensis Honolulu; Near Koko Head, highway and makai end of Hawaiiloa Ridge, W side Under kiawe. Preserved_Specimen Egler, F.E. 3730 Oahu BISH 1937-06-15
8 Commelina benghalensis West Lock, U.S. Navy Ammunition Storage Area, just S. of West Lock, Pearl Harbor, Ewa District Occasional on crushed rock in full sun on flat slightly elevated coral limestone. Preserved_Specimen Much branched, semi-prostrate Fosberg, F.R. 65066 Oahu BISH 1985-10-26
9 Commelina benghalensis Waianae; Waianae Mountains, central Lualualei Lantana scrub. Preserved_Specimen Christophersen, E. 3723 Oahu BISH 1932-07-20
10 Commelina benghalensis Honolulu; Near Koko Head, Kamilonui-Kamiloiki Ridge, makai haole koa zone. Preserved_Specimen Egler, F.E. 37109 Oahu BISH 1937-07-12
11 Commelina benghalensis Honolulu; Round Top, above Tantalus Road; upper Haole Koa zone. Preserved_Specimen Garden weed. Egler, F.E. 37304 Oahu BISH 1937-07-27
12 Commelina benghalensis Lawai Valley; Pacific Tropical Botanic Garden Preserved_Specimen Herbst, D.R. 2277 Kauai BISH 1971-12-30
13 Commelina benghalensis Ka‘ena Point Keawaula Section. At trail head just east of signage. Ocean side of trail. Leucaena leucocephala overstory. Weedy vegetation common along the entire trail until the enclosure fence including Chloris barbata, Sida ciliaris, Eleusine indica, Dictyloctenium aegyptium, Verbesina encelioides, Malvastrum americanum, Commelina benghalensis, Trianthema portulacastrum, Asystasia gangetica, Preserved_Specimen Kennedy, B. 126 Oahu BISH 2021-01-24
14 Commelina benghalensis Honolulu; W Niu Valley near end of the road. haole koa zone. Found under kiawe trees. Preserved_Specimen Egler, F.E. 37141 Oahu BISH 1937-06-25
15 Commelina benghalensis Kape kinau In lava kipuka. Preserved_Specimen Hobdy, R.W. 1333 Maui BISH 1982-03-27
16 Commelina benghalensis Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve, Ahihi Bay at the N end of the reserve Common in shade. Pockets of vegetation near the seashore amongst a'a lava about 200 years old. Preserved_Specimen Ground cover; flowers blue. Abbott, I.A. 91.34 Maui BISH 1991-03-05
17 Commelina benghalensis Honolulu; Between Koko Crater and Makapuu Along roadside. Leucaena and associated grasses. Preserved_Specimen Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1937-01-01
18 Commelina benghalensis Honolulu; Diamond Head, S side Preserved_Specimen Munro, G.C. 2835 Oahu BISH 1950-03-11
19 Commelina benghalensis Honolulu; Diamond Head Preserved_Specimen Munro, G.C. 35 Oahu BISH 1950-03-11
20 Commelina benghalensis Honolulu; Bishop Museum Courtyard Preserved_Specimen A weed, + small blue flowers; + some bulbils. Bishop, B. Oahu BISH 1964-05-28
21 Commelina benghalensis Honolulu; Edge of Punchbowl Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 1221 Oahu BISH 1909-03-27
22 Commelina benghalensis Mapulehu Roadside with Rivina humilis & Bidens pilosa. Preserved_Specimen Weed. Succulent, prostrate plants; flowers blue. Oppenheimer, H.L. 110134 Molokai BISH 2001-10-18
23 Commelina benghalensis Dismond Head Crater, Honolulu Dry Prosopis forest Preserved_Specimen Fosberg, F.R. 13901 Oahu BISH 1937-05-28
24 Commelina benghalensis Honolulu; Diamond Head In shade of Leucaena shrubs on floor of the crater, along jeep road. Preserved_Specimen Herb with blue flowers. Herbst, D.R. 5638 Oahu BISH 1976-01-29
25 Commelina benghalensis Kaena Point. Preserved_Specimen Allison, A. Oahu BISH 2018-12-02
26 Commelina benghalensis Lawai-kai, east flank of Lawai Valley, along old entrance road to Allerton House from Lawai Raod. Secondary weedy vegetation, with Leucaena leucocephala and Euphorbia tirucalli dominant. Preserved_Specimen Annual herb rooting at nodes, stems succulent, leaves medium green. Flowers blue; hypogeous flowers yellow-white. abundant, naturalized locally. Lorence, D.H. 10439 Kauai BISH 2013-12-05
27 Commelina benghalensis Honolulu; Punahou area: 1940 Manoa Rd Growing in sunny garden plot. Preserved_Specimen Prostrate weed; flower has shades of lavender, purple, and violet. Lau, J. 1531 Oahu BISH 1985-10-19
28 Commelina benghalensis South Kona District, road to Hookena Beach Disturbed roadside in Leucaena/Pithecellobium shrubland. In old habitiation site at beach. Preserved_Specimen Wagner, W.L. 5940 Hawaii BISH 1988-03-10
29 Commelina benghalensis Honolulu, Prospect St. between Miller and Pele Sts., S slope of Punchbowl with Leucaena leucocephala, Pennisetum setaceum, Opuntia; sunny slope, dryland shrub community Preserved_Specimen stems creeping and rooting at node Ray, G. 86 Oahu BISH 1998-02-17
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