Commelinales and Zingiberales week : Commelinaceae- commelina benghalensis?
tanay bose
Department of Botany.
University of British Columbia .
3529-6270 University Blvd.
Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4 (Canada)
Phone: 778-323-4036 (Mobile)
Rashida Atthar
Mayur Nandikar
Hello I m too confused because of the leaves of above posted plant. But my opinion is go with Commelina paludosa rather than Commelina forskalaei.
Commelina paludosa Blume, Enum. Pl. Jav. 1: 2. 1827; Rao and Kammathy, JBNHS 59: 60, 1962.
Type: Java. Blume 807. (Herb. Lugd. Bat. 899. 2285-488)
Lectotype.Commelina obliqua Buch. –Ham. ex D. Don. Fl. Nepal. 45. 1825; Clarke In: Dc., Mon. Phan. 3: 178. 1881; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 6: 372. 1892; Cooke, Fl. Pres. Bombay 3: 372. 1906; Fischer In: Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras, 1076. 1928, non Vahl, 1806. Commelina polyspatha Wight, Ic. t. 2066. 1853.
Erect-scrambling perennial herb. Stems often erect, simple or sometimes branched distally, to 1 m, glabrous or sparsely hispidulous. Leaves sessile; leaf sheath densely brown hispid at mouth and in a line on 1 side, sometimes either glabrous with only a few hairs at mouth or hirsute throughout; leaf blade lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 7--20 × 2--7 cm, glabrous on both surfaces or adaxially granular hairy and abaxially hirsute. Involucral bracts often 4--10, forming terminal heads, sessile, funnelform, c. 2 × 1.5--2 cm, glabrous, proximal margins connate, apex acute or shortly so. Cincinnus 1; peduncle c. 1.2 cm; flowers 1 to several, nearly included in involucral bracts; pedicels c. 7 mm, twisted. Sepals 3--6 mm, membranous. Petals blue, 4.5--8 mm. Capsule ovoid-globose, trigonous, c. 4 mm, 3-valved. Seeds 1 per valve, dark brown, ellipsoid, c. 3.5 mm, slightly flattened, finely reticulate; hilum linear-punctiform, embryotega lateral.
Flowering and Fruiting: August to February.
Distribution: C. paludosa is distributed in India, Sri Lanka, Burma and Tropical Africa (Faden, 2000).
Localities: From forest borders of Dajipur, Borbet, Chandrapur (Maharashtra), Kankumbhi (Karnataka).
Ecology: It is common along forest margins. It prefers exposed or partially shady habitats.
Mr. Mayur D. Nandikar,
Research Student,
Department of Botany,
Shivaji University,
Kolhapur.