Commelina benghalensis L.
Family
Commelinaceae
Synonyms
None
Vernacular Names
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Malaysia |
Rum put mayiam. |
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English |
Wandering jew. |
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Indonesia |
Petungan, kekupu (Javanese), tali korang (Sundanese). |
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Philippines |
Bias-bias (Tagalog), kabilau (Bisaya), kulkul-Iasi (Iloko). |
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Myanmar |
Myet-cho. |
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Laos |
Kaab pii. |
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Vietnam |
D[aaf]u ri[eef]u, th[af]i l[af]i l[oo]ng. |
Geographical Distributions
Commelina benghalensis is widely dispersed in the Old World tropics and the Pacific Islands, and naturalized in South America and Florida.
Description
Commelina benghalensis is an annual to perennial, creeping or ascending herb, usually hairy and rhizomatous.
The leaves are ovate to elliptical, measure 4-7 cm x 2-4 cm, obtuse to acuminate at apex and with sheath rusty ciliate. Normally, the leaves are with 1 spathe per axil, boat-shaped, about 1.5 cm long and with partly connate margins.
The upper raceme is in spathe with 1-3 sterile flowers while the lower raceme is with 1-5 bisexual flowers. The peduncle is short, and measures 0.5-1 cm long. The flower is 1.5 cm in diametre, and with 3-4 mm long petals. It is blue or violet and rarely white. There are 3 fertile stamens, 3 staminodes with 1 often without the anther while the cleistogamous flowers are sometimes underground rhizomes. The capsule is elongate-globular. It is 4-6 mm long, 3-celled and 5-seeded. The seeds are larger than the others. The seed is 1.5-3.5 mm long, strongly ribbed-wrinkled and greyish-brown .
Ecology / Cultivation
Commelina benghalensis is growing in less humid conditions than C. diffusa, on sunny or lightly shaded localities, grasslands, waste places and compost heaps, along roadsides, around villages, on rich, often heavy soils, and from sea level up to 1000 m altitude.
Line Drawing / Photograph
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1) Safety
References
- Plant Resources of South-East Asia No.12(2): Medicinal and poisonous plants 2.
