Commelina cyanea | |
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Stem and flower | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Clade: | Commelinids |
Order: | Commelinales |
Family: | Commelinaceae |
Genus: | Commelina |
Species: | C. cyanea |
Binomial name | |
Commelina cyanea | |
Synonyms [2] | |
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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, [3] Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. The blue flowers appear over the warmer months and are pollinated by bees and flies.
Commelina cyanea was one of the many species initially described by the botanist Robert Brown in his 1810 work Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen and still bears its original name. [4] [1]
The genus name Commelina was chosen based on the Asiatic dayflower. Linnaeus picked the name in honour of the Dutch botanists Jan and Caspar Commelijn, using the two large showy petals of Commelina communis to symbolise them. [5] [ failed verification ] The specific name is the Latin adjective cyaneus, meaning "blue". As well as scurvy weed, alternative common names include (native) wandering Jew, forget-me-not, [1] and creeping Christian. [6]
Commelina cyanea is a trailing herbaceous perennial plant, whose stems grow along the ground. It readily roots at the nodes when they come into contact with the soil. They die off in winter. [7] The leaves are ovate to narrow-ovate, and measure 2–7 cm (0.8–2.8 in) long by 5–15 mm (0.2–0.6 in) wide. The flowers can occur at any time from spring to autumn. They are deep blue and about 15 mm (0.6 in) in diameter, followed by a capsule bearing up to five seeds about 3 mm (0.1 in) long. [3] [7]
The species range is across eastern New South Wales, from Narooma northwards into Queensland, as well as Lord Howe Island. It grows in wetter shaded areas in forest habitats. [3] [8]
Commelina cyanea is pollinated by a variety of native bees such as Nomia aurantifer , Amegilla pulchra , halictid and colletid bees, and syrphid flies (genus Syritta ). [9] Wallabies and rabbits eat the vegetation. [7] Vegetation is also possibly dispersed by water. [7]
The leaves were used by early non-indigenous colonists to alleviate scurvy, and hence its common name. [10]
Attractive in flower, Commelina cyanea adapts readily to cultivation and can be grown as a groundcover or in hanging baskets. It is easily propagated from cuttings. [11] It has a superficial resemblance (in morphology only) to the introduced weed wandering Jew ( Tradescantia fluminensis ), but is readily distinguished from the native by the variegated leaves and the white flowers. It also lacks the hairy leaf sheathes of the native. [12] C. cyanea can itself be weedy in gardens at times. [13]
Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen is a book by the botanist Robert Brown published in 1810, which deals with the flora of Australia. Often referred to as Prodromus Flora Novae Hollandiae, or by its standard botanical abbreviation Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holland., it was the first attempt at a survey of the Australian flora. It described over 2040 species, over half of which were published for the first time.
Calectasia is a genus of about fifteen species of flowering plants in the family Dasypogonaceae and is endemic to south-western Australia. Plants is this genus are small, erect shrubs with branched stems covered by leaf sheaths. The flowers are star-shaped, lilac-blue to purple and arranged singly on the ends of short branchlets.
Pterostylis nutans, commonly known as the nodding greenhood or the parrot's beak orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to eastern Australia. Nodding greenhoods have flowers which "nod" or lean forwards strongly, have a deeply notched sinus and a curved, hairy labellum.
Lobelia purpurascens, commonly known as white root or purplish pratia, is a flowering plant in the family Campanulaceae of eastern Australia. It is a small herbaceous, scrambling plant with white to pale pink flowers.
Wurmbea dioica, commonly known as early Nancy, is a species of plant in the family Colchicaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a herb with three linear to thread-like leaves and usually two to seven white flowers with a purple or greenish nectary band.
Dampiera stricta commonly known as blue dampiera, is a flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae. It is a small sub-shrub with variable leaves and mostly blue, mauve or purple flowers.
Dampiera purpurea, commonly known as the mountain- or purple dampiera, is a subshrub in the family Goodeniaceae native to Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland in eastern Australia. Its blue-purple flowers appear in spring and early summer, and it is pollinated by insects such as butterflies and bees. Adapting readily to cultivation, Dampiera purpurea is grown as a garden plant in Australia.
Ajuga australis, commonly known as Austral bugle, is a herbaceous flowering plant native to Eastern Australia. First described by Robert Brown, it is occasionally seen in horticulture.
Cyrtostylis reniformis, commonly known as common gnat-orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to eastern Australia. It usually has a single kidney-shaped leaf and a flowering spike with up to eight reddish flowers with a shelf-like labellum.
Cryptostylis erecta, commonly known as the bonnet orchid or tartan tongue orchid , is an orchid endemic to south eastern Australia. A small and common plant, it has dark green lance-shaped to egg-shaped leaves and up to twelve greenish flowers with a large, bonnet-like or hood-like, lilac-coloured labellum with a network of purple veins.
Acrotriche divaricata is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a bushy shrub with sharply-pointed lance-shaped leaves and spikes of 3 to 5 green or cream-coloured flowers and spherical, red drupes.
Veronica plebeia, commonly known as creeping- or trailing speedwell, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Plantaginaceae. It is native to Australia and New Zealand.
Caleana major, commonly known as the large duck orchid, is a small orchid found in eastern and southern Australia. This terrestrial plant features a remarkable flower, resembling a duck in flight. The flower is an attractant to insects, such as male sawflies which pollinate the flower in a process known as pseudocopulation. In 1986 this orchid was featured on an Australian postage stamp.
Persicaria decipiens, commonly known as slender knotweed, is a species of flowering plant native to Australia and Asia.
Pterostylis rufa, commonly known as the red rustyhood is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has a rosette of leaves and up to fifteen bright reddish-brown flowers with translucent white "windows" and a dark brown, insect-like labellum. It occurs from southern Queensland to south-eastern South Australia.
Thelymitra nuda, commonly known as the plain sun orchid is a species of orchid that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has a single fleshy, channelled leaf and up to twelve dark blue to purplish, sometimes white or pinkish flowers with white tufts on top of the anther. It grows in a range of habitats and sometimes forms large colonies.
Spiranthes australis, commonly known as austral ladies tresses, is a species of orchid that grows from southern Caspian Sea and Himalayan Mountains to the South-West Pacific and north throughout Japan. It has up to about ten leaves at the base of a flowering stem with up to sixty small pink and white flowers spirally arranged around it.
Diuris pedunculata, commonly known as the small snake orchid, is a species of orchid which is endemic to New South Wales. It usually has two leaves at its base and one or two yellow and orange flowers with purple markings. It originally occurred in scattered populations between Tenterfield and the Hawkesbury River but because of habitat loss is now only known from the New England Tableland.
Xyris gracilis, commonly known as slender yellow-eye, is a species of flowering plant in the family Xyridaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a tufted herb with linear leaves with 5 to 8 flowering stems with bright yellow flowers.
Commelina lanceolata is a plant in the family Commelinaceae native to the Northern Territory and Queensland in Australia. It is a scrambling perennial herb first described by the Scottish botanist Robert Brown in 1810, who published his description in his work Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen.