Commelinaceae
Commelina

Commelina erecta L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 41 (1753), nom. cons.
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is America, Tropical & S. Africa, Arabian Peninsula. It is a perennial or tuberous geophyte and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome. It is has environmental uses and social uses, as animal food and a medicine and for food.

Descriptions

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Vernacular
WATER GRASS
Morphology Stem
Stems more or less decumbent, glabrous. Leaves lanceolate to narrowly elliptic or oblong-lanceolate, 3–8 cm long, acute or acuminate at apex; sheaths minutely ciliate on margins
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Spathe
Spathes 1–2 cm long, glabrous or minutely pubescent, acute, the margins joined near the base (in the closely related pantropical weed Commelina longicaulis Jacq., which may yet be found in the Cayman Islands, the spathe-margins are not joined at all)
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals blue, pale bluish, or sometimes white
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule 4–5 mm long, 3-seeded; seeds smooth, 3–3.5 mm long (in C. longicaulis the seeds are reticulated and 2–3 mm long).
Distribution
Grand Cayman, Caman Brac. Widespread throughout tropical America.
Ecology
Common along damp roadside ditches and in other low moist situations.
[Cayman]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/176972/140389177

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
ojera, ojito de Santa Lucía, ojo de Santa Lucía, panameña, santalucía, siempreviva, sueldaconsuelda, sueldaquesuelda, sueldasuelda
[UNAL]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Rhizomatous perennial usually 20–50 cm tall; roots fibrous, thin or cord-like, not tuberous
Morphology General Shoots
Shoots erect to ascending, or sometimes prostrate, not rooting
Morphology Leaves
Leaves distichous, sheaths to 2.5 cm long, often auriculate at the apex, puberulous, blade usually sessile, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate-elliptic, elliptic or ovate-elliptic, 5–15 x (0.6–)1–3.7 cm, apex acuminate, base oblique, cuneate, surfaces pubescent to subglabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Spathe
Spathes usually clustered, subsessile, 1.5–2.5 x 1–2 cm, usually not or somewhat falcate, occasionally strongly falcate, glabrous to hirsute-puberulous, upper cincinnus lacking, lower several-flowered
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers bisexual and male; paired sepals fused into a cup; paired petals blue, lower petal minute, colourless
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsules c. 2.5–5 x 2.5–6 mm, broader than long when all seeds developed, 3-celled, cells 1-seeded, dorsal cell warty, indehiscent, ventral cells smooth, dehiscent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds of the ventral cell subspherical to transversely ellipsoid, c. 2.5–4 x 2–2.5 mm, testa brown or blackish, smooth, with soft, usually pale patches on the sides or with a whitish torus 3/4 around the circumference of the seed (interrupted by the embryotega), sparsely farinose.
Distribution
N1; C1; S3 widespread in tropical Africa and tropical and temperate America, sometimes treated as pantropical.
Ecology
Altitude range c. 35–1500 m.
Vernacular
Baar (Somali).
Note
It is unclear how widespread this species is in Somalia, because some of the collections may not have been distinguished from the wide-ranging C. albescens. The only collections from S3, are unusually large plants growing in moist situations.
[FSOM]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean, Caribbean, Pacific. Elevation range: 5–2260 m a.s.l. Native to Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Atlántico, Bogotá DC, Bolívar, Caldas, Chocó, Córdoba, Cundinamarca, Huila, Magdalena, San Andrés y Providencia, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca.
Habit
Herb.
Conservation
IUCN Red List Assessment (2021): LC. National Red List of Colombia (2021): Potential LC.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, native grassland, wetlands (inland), artificial - terrestrial.
Vernacular
Cadillo, Cohitre, Ojo de santa lucía, Suelda con suelda
[UPFC]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 5 - 2260 m.; Andes, Islas Caribeñas, Llanura del Caribe, Pacífico, Valle del Magdalena.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba
Conservation
Preocupación Menor
[CPLC]

Uses

Use Animal Food
Used as animal food.
Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
Use Social
Social uses.
[UPFC]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of the Cayman Islands

    • Flora of the Cayman Islands
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Neotropikey

    • Milliken, W., Klitgard, B. and Baracat, A. (2009 onwards), Neotropikey - Interactive key and information resources for flowering plants of the Neotropics.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0