Commelina benghalensis

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Commelina benghalensis
ARS - Commelina benghalensis.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Commelinales
Family: Commelinaceae
Genus: Commelina
Species:
C. benghalensis
Binomial name
Commelina benghalensis
L.
Synonyms

Commelina benghalensis, commonly known as the Benghal dayflower, tropical spiderwort, or wandering Jew, [6] kanshira in Bengali, is a perennial herb native to tropical Asia and Africa. It has been widely introduced to areas outside its native range, including to the neotropics, Hawaii, the West Indies and to both coasts of North America. It has a long flowering period, from spring to fall in subtropical areas, and throughout the year closer to the equator. [7] [8] It is often associated with disturbed soils.

Contents

In both it native range and areas where it has been introduced it is usually considered a weed, sometimes a serious one. In the United States it has been placed on the Federal Noxious Weed List. It is considered a moderate weed of rice cultivation in Asia. [9] In its native range of sub-Saharan Africa, India, Sri Lanka, and much of Southeast Asia, it is considered a serious weed of an enormous range of crops from tea and coffee to cassava and peanuts. Additional agricultural damage is caused by the fact that it can host the nematode Meloidogyne incognita and the Groundnut rosette virus. [10]

In China it is used as a medicinal herb that is said to have diuretic, febrifugal and anti-inflammatory effects, while in Pakistan it is used to cure swellings of the skin, leprosy and as a laxative.

Distribution and habitat

Commelina benghalensis in Hyderabad, India. Commelina benghalensis W IMG 1553.jpg
Commelina benghalensis in Hyderabad, India.

Commelina benghalensis is a wide-ranging plant, being native to tropical and subtropical Asia and Africa, an area otherwise known as the paleotropics. In China it is commonly associated with wet locations. There it can be found from near sea level up to 2300 metres. It is present from the provinces of Hebei and Shandong in the northeast, west to Sichuan and in all provinces south to Hainan, the southernmost province. It is also found in Taiwan. [11] In Japan the plant is restricted to the southern portions of the country from the southern Kantō region westward and including the islands of Shikoku and Kyūshū. [12] Although its roots and tubers are used as a food source, C. benghalensis is not cultivated in Ethiopia, where it grows as a weed. [13]

The plant has also been widely introduced beyond its range to the neotropics [14] - the southeastern United States, California, Hawaii, Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Martinique, Montserrat, Barbados and St Vincent. In Puerto Rico the plant is known from a single collection from Cayey. [15] In the southeastern United States the plant was collected in the 1928, while it was first collected in Hawaii in 1909. [16] In the southeastern states it is present in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana [14] and North Carolina and spreading. [17] It was added to the Federal Noxious Weed List in 1983, [16] and by 2003 was considered the most serious pest of Georgia's cotton crop due to widely used herbicides such as glyphosate having little effect on it. [17] It was introduced separately to California in the 1980s, making it the only introduced species of Commelina in the western United States. [14] [16] It is associated with disturbed soils such as yards, lawns and cultivated areas, especially in cotton crops and orange groves. [16] [17]

Morphology

In Jammu, India, this plant is an annual, growing from May to December and flowering from June to October. [7] In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, located closer to the equator, it is a perennial, flowering around the year. [8]

Commelina benghalensis produces three types of branches - aerial or negatively geotropic ones, subaerial or diageotropic ones, and underground or positively geotropic ones. The underground branches do not bear leaves. [7]

Reproduction

Bengal dayflowers display an enormous diversity in reproductive systems. It produces three types of flowers -male (chasmogamous), hermaphrodite chasmogamous and hermaphrodite cleistogamous. All three types develop on aerial branches, but only hermaphrodite chasmogamous flowers develop on subaerial branches, and only cleistogamous flowers develop on underground branches. Finally, some plants may produce female flowers on aerial branches. Developing flowers are covered in mucilaginous spathes. [7]

Flowers are zygomorphic. The petals are blue. The androecium (male organ) has six stamens, of which only three are fertile. One of the fertile stamens is longer and yellow; the other two are shorter and grey in colour. Pollen grains are yellowish coloured and capsule shaped.

Pollen grains of Commelina benghalensis Pollen grains of Commelina benghalensis.jpg
Pollen grains of Commelina benghalensis

The gynoecium (female organ) has three joined carpels. Aerial and subaerial branch flowers have five ovules per ovary; underground branch flowers have three. [7]

Seeds are ovoid; 2 mm long and 1.5 mm wide.[ citation needed ] There are four types of seeds - large and small aerial and underground. Plants from large underground seeds grow fastest in the first 2–4 weeks and so seem to have better competitive ability. All the other types of seeds have a dormancy period. They may be produced to survive stressful periods (e.g. droughts) or to spread to new areas. Kim Sang Yeol found that most (75-77%) seeds were of the small aerial type, and that only 2-4% of seeds were underground seeds. [18]

Uses

In China, the plant is used medicinally as a diuretic, febrifuge and anti-inflammatory. [11] In Pakistan it is used as animal fodder and also eaten by humans as a vegetable. It is also used there medicinally, but with different purported effects, including as a laxative and to cure inflammations of the skin as well as leprosy. [19] The people of Nepal eat the young leaves as a vegetable, use a paste derived from the plant to treat burns, and treat indigestion with a juice produced from the roots. [20] Its use as a famine food in India has been recorded. In southeast Asia and Africa it is used as fodder and also medicinally as a poultice. [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>Commelina</i> Genus of flowering plants

Commelina is a genus of approximately 170 species commonly called dayflowers due to the short lives of their flowers. They are less often known as widow's tears. It is by far the largest genus of its family, Commelinaceae. The Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus of the 18th century named the genus after the two Dutch botanists Jan Commelijn and his nephew Caspar, each representing one of the showy petals of Commelina communis.

Commelinaceae Family of flowering plants

Commelinaceae is a family of flowering plants. In less formal contexts, the group is referred to as the dayflower family or spiderwort family. It is one of five families in the order Commelinales and by far the largest of these with about 731 known species in 41 genera. Well known genera include Commelina (dayflowers) and Tradescantia (spiderworts). The family is diverse in both the Old World tropics and the New World tropics, with some genera present in both. The variation in morphology, especially that of the flower and inflorescence, is considered to be exceptionally high amongst the angiosperms.

<i>Commelina communis</i> Species of flowering plant

Commelina communis, commonly known as the Asiatic dayflower, is an herbaceous annual plant in the dayflower family. It gets its name because the blooms last for only one day. It is native throughout much of East Asia and northern parts of Southeast Asia. In China, the plant is known as yazhicao, roughly translating to "duckfoot herb", while in Japan it is known as tsuyukusa, meaning "dew herb". It has also been introduced to parts of central and southeastern Europe and much of eastern North America, where it has spread to become a noxious weed. It is common in disturbed sites and in moist soil. The flowers emerge from summer through fall and are distinctive with two relatively large blue petals and one very reduced white petal.

<i>Commelina diffusa</i> Species of flowering plant

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 in disturbed situations, moist places and forests. In China the plant is used medicinally as a febrifuge and a diuretic. A blue dye is also extracted from the flower for paints. In the Hawaiian Islands, it is known as "honohono grass", although it is technically not a grass. "Honohono" refers to the alternating structure of the leaves. At least one publication lists it as an edible plant in New Guinea.

<i>Commelina caroliniana</i> Species of plant

Commelina caroliniana, sometimes known as the Carolina dayflower, is an herbaceous plant in the dayflower family native to India and Bangladesh. Both the scientific name and the common name are misleading as the plant was described based on specimens found in the southeastern United States before it was known that the plant had in fact been introduced from India. It was most likely introduced to South Carolina in the late 17th century along with rice seed from India. The plant has also been recently reported from South Korea. Its flowers emerge from summer to fall and rarely into the winter.

<i>Commelina cyanea</i> Species of flowering plant

Commelina cyanea, commonly known as scurvy weed, is a perennial prostrate herb of the family Commelinaceae native to moist forests and woodlands of eastern Australia, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. The blue flowers appear over the warmer months and are pollinated by bees and flies.

<i>Commelina virginica</i> Species of flowering plant

Commelina virginica, commonly known as the Virginia dayflower, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the dayflower family. It is native to the mideastern and southeastern United States, where it is typical of wet soils. While most members of the genus have thin, fibrous roots, the Virginia dayflower is relatively unique for its genus in having a perennial rhizome. The plant was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1762 publication of the second edition of Species Plantarum. A phylogenetic study based on the nuclear ribosomal DNA region 5S NTS and the chloroplast region trnL-trnF, two commonly used gene regions for determining relationships, suggested that Commelina virginica is most closely related to two African species, namely Commelina capitata and Commelina congesta. However, the statistical support for this result was low. Morphologically speaking the supposedly related species do share some unique traits. C. virginica and C. capitata have red hairs at the top of their leaf sheaths, an unusual character in the genus, while C. virginica and C. congesta both have clustered inflorescences on very short stalks.

<i>Commelina lukei</i> Species of flowering plant

Commelina lukei is a monocotyledonous, herbaceous plant in the dayflower family from East Africa. This blue-flowered herb has been recorded in lowland areas of Kenya, Tanzania, and Madagascar, where it is found in a variety of habitats ranging from forests to grasslands to roadsides. Described in 2008, the species was previously confused with Commelina mascarenica and Commelina imberbis. Despite this misinterpretation, a third similar species, Commelina kotschyi, is actually most closely related to C. lukei. The plant's distinctive features include a scrambling habit, capsules with a rounded extension at the apex, appendaged seeds, clasping leaf bases throughout, and solely needle-like hairs along the upper side of the leaf's midrib. The species was named in honour of the botanist W. Q. R. Luke, whose collection of the plant served as the type specimen and allowed for a complete illustration and description.

Commelina kotschyi is a monocotyledonous, herbaceous plant in the dayflower family from Africa and India. This annual, blue-flowered plant is found primarily in seasonally waterlogged soils at relatively high elevations. The species has been largely confused in floras, often being misinterpreted as Commelina imberbis. C. kotschyi is most closely related to Commelina lukei, with which it does not overlap in distribution. C. kotschyi is characterised by its appendaged seeds, capsules with a bulging apex, and undulate leaves, among other features.

Commelina sphaerorrhizoma is a monocotyledonous, herbaceous plant in the dayflower family from south-central Africa. This blue-flowered herb has been recorded from western Zambia, central Angola, and the southern portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, although at the time of its description it was known only from 11 collections and may be more broadly distributed. It is found in a variety of habitats ranging from woodlands to grasslands to roadsides. The plant's most distinctive feature and the source of its scientific name is its moniliform rhizome composed of spherical segments that can form a bead-like chain. Other distinguishing characteristics include glaucous leaves with clasping bases, unfused and virtually hairless spathes, capsules composed of three, one-seeded locules, and very large seeds with a hairy surface.

Commelina orchidophylla is a monocotyledonous, herbaceous plant in the dayflower family from south-central Africa. This blue-flowered herb has been recorded only from the Haut-Katanga District of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, although at the time of its description it was known only from 3 collections. It is found in woodlands, especially in rocky areas, and on sandstone. The plant's most distinctive feature and the source of its scientific name is its orchid-like pair of broad basal leaves. Other distinctive characteristics include hairy tuberous roots, solitary spathes on long stalks that arise directly from the basal leaves before the development of elongated flowering shoots, dimorphic seeds, and unfused spathes lacking hairs which contain an upper cincinnus that barely emerges. The flowers have never been observed directly and are only partially known from bud dissections.

<i>Polyspatha</i>

Polyspatha is a genus of perennial monocotyledonous flowering plants in the dayflower family. It is restricted to tropical Africa consists of three recognized species.

<i>Commelina forskaolii</i> Species of flowering plant

Commelina forskaolii, sometimes known as rat's ear, is an herbaceous plant in the dayflower family native to much of Africa, Arabia, and India. It has also been introduced to Florida in the United States. It is considered a common species in most of its range. It can be easily recognized by its bright blue flowers with winged stamen filaments. The seeds are also distinctive with distinctive irregular ridges on their sides. It often forms dense mats, and can be found most commonly in sandy soils in at least somewhat sunny situations. The species is considered a weed in many areas because of its hardiness and ability to produce cleistogamous flowers.

<i>Commelina fluviatilis</i> Species of aquatic plant

Commelina fluviatilis is an herbaceous plant in the dayflower family found primarily in Central Africa. It is known from Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, and the Caprivi Strip region of Namibia.

Commelina hockii is an herbaceous plant in the dayflower family found primarily in Central Africa, from southwestern Tanzania in the east, west through the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia, and possibly extending further west to Angola. The species' distinctive features include its long, tapering spathes with unfused margins, its white flowers, and its many-flowered lower cymes. It can be found in grasslands and Brachystegia-dominated woodland. It is fairly unusual among Commelina species in having variation in the color of the antherodes, with some individuals having entirely yellow antherodes, while others contain a dark spot in the center. Also, it is one of the only Commelina species known to leave a papery residue of dried fluid inside its spathes; normally only fused-spathe species are known to produce this substance. Only one specimen from Angola resembles this species, but it has blue flowers, suggesting it may be a poorly understood and as-yet undescribed separate species. Commelina hockii is probably closely related to Commelina kituloensis, which shares a similar fruit type, the same tufted perennial habit, similar large spathes with dried fluid substance, and equally numerously flowered inflorescences. That species differs in having purplish flowers, hairy leaves, shorter spathes, and a preference for high altitude grassland.

<i>Commelina eckloniana</i> Species of flowering plant

Commelina eckloniana is an herbaceous plant in the dayflower family with a broad distribution in Central and East Africa.

Commelina polhillii is a plant species native to Tanzania, known only from the Iriniga and Mpanda Districts. It occurs in open woodlands and in disturbed sites.

Commelina zenkeri is a plant species native to tropical Africa. It is known from Uganda and Cameroon. Unconfirmed reports place it in Democratic Republic of the Congo as well. It grows on rocky hillsides in evergreen tropical forests at elevations up to 1300 m.

References

  1. 1 2 Schumann, Karl Moritz (1895). "Commelinaceae". In Engler, Adolf (ed.). Die Pflanzenwelt Ost-Afrikas und der Nachbargebiete (in German). C. Berlin: D. Reimer. pp. 134–137.
  2. ↑ Hasskarl, Justus Karl (1867). "Commelinaceae". In Schweinfurth, Georg (ed.). Beitrag zur Flora Aethiopiens (in German). Berlin: G. Reimer. pp. 206–214.
  3. ↑ Clarke, C.B. (1901). "Commelinaceae". In W. T. Thiselton-Dyer (ed.). Flora of Tropical Africa. 8. London: Lovell Reeve & Co. p. 54.
  4. ↑ Clarke, C. B. (1881). "Commelinaceae". In Alphonso de Candolle; Casimir de Candolle (eds.). Monographiae Phanerogamarum Prodromi (in Latin). 3. Paris: G. Masson. pp. 113–324.
  5. ↑ Faden, Robert B. (2012), "Commelinaceae", in Beentje, Henk (ed.), Flora of Tropical East Africa , Richmond, Surrey: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, pp. 200–203, ISBN   978-1-84246-436-6
  6. ↑ Umberto Quattrocchi. CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms. Synonyms, and Etymology. CRC Press, 1999. p.594. ISBN   9780849326738
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Kaul, Veenu; Sharma, Namrata; Koul, A. K. (June 2002). "Reproductive effort and sex allocation strategy in Commelina benghalensis L., a common monsoon weed". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 140 (4): 403–413. doi: 10.1046/j.1095-8339.2002.00082.x .
  8. 1 2 Santhosh Nampy; Sheba M. Joseph; Manudev, K. M. (19 February 2013). "The genus Commelina (Commelinaceae) in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, India with one new species and three new records". Phytotaxa. Magnolia Press. 87 (2): 19–29. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.87.2.1.
  9. ↑ Caton, B. P.; M. Mortimer; J. E. Hill (2004), A practical field guide to weeds of rice in Asia, International Rice Research Institute, pp. 22–23, ISBN   978-971-22-0191-2
  10. 1 2 Holm, Leroy G. (1977), The World's Worst Weeds, Honolulu: University Press of Hawaii, pp.  225–235, ISBN   978-0-471-04701-8
  11. 1 2 Hong, Deyuan; DeFillipps, Robert A. (2000), "Commelina diffusa", in Wu, Z. Y.; Raven, P.H.; Hong, D.Y. (eds.), Flora of China, 24, Beijing: Science Press; St. Louis: Missouri Botanical Garden Press, p. 36, retrieved 21 June 2007
  12. ↑ Ohwi, Jisaburo (1965), Flora of Japan (in English), Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, p. 271
  13. ↑ Zemede Asfaw, "Conservation and use of traditional vegetables in Ethiopia" Archived 7 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine , Proceedings of the IPGRI International Workshop on Genetic Resources of Traditional Vegetables in Africa (Nairobi, 29–31 August 1995)
  14. 1 2 3 Faden, Robert (2006), "Commelina benghalensis", in Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.), Flora of North America online, 22, New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press, retrieved 12 December 2007
  15. ↑ Acevedo-Rodriguez, Pedro; Strong, Mark T. (2005), "Monocotyledons and Gymnosperms of Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands", Contributions of the United States National Herbarium, 52: 158
  16. 1 2 3 4 Faden, Robert B. (1993), "The misconstrued and rare species of Commelina (Commelinaceae) in the eastern United States", Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden Press, 80 (1): 208–218, doi:10.2307/2399824, JSTOR   2399824
  17. 1 2 3 Webster, Theodore M.; Burton, Michael G.; Culpepper, A. Stanley; York, Alan C.; Prostko, Eric P. (2005), "Tropical Spiderwort (Commelina benghalensis): A Tropical Invader Threatens Agroecosystems of the Southern United States", Weed Technology, 19 (3): 501–508, doi:10.1614/WT-04-234R.1, S2CID   85779088
  18. ↑ Kim, Sang Yeol (1998). "Growth and development of Commelina benghalensis L. from four seed types". Korean Journal of Weed Science (in English and Korean). 18 (1): 42–47. doi:10.3346/jkms.2003.18.1.42. PMC   3055002 . PMID   12589085.
  19. ↑ Qaiser, M.; Jafri, S.M.H. (1975), "Commelina benghalensis", in Ali, S.I.; Qaiser, M. (eds.), Flora of Pakistan, 84, St. Louis: University of Karachi & Missouri Botanical Garden, p. 10
  20. ↑ Manandhar, N. P.; Manandhar, Sanjay (2002), Plants and People of Nepal, Timber Press, p. 167, ISBN   0-88192-527-6
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