Plant Name
Scientific Name: Commelina erecta
Common Names: Whitemouth Dayflower, Slender Dayflower
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Herb/Forb
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Desert (mountain foothills), Upland, Mountain
Flower Color: Blue, Lavender (rare), White (rare)
Flowering Season: Spring (late), Summer
Height: To 1 foot (30 cm) tall or more
Description: The flowers are 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide and enclosed by a hairy, green, boat-shaped spathe (a leaf-like bract). The 3-petaled flowers have 2 blue side petals and a small, white lower petal. The leaves are green, alternate, and linear to lanceolate in shape. Deer and cattle love to feed on these plants.
The similar Birdbill Dayflower (Commelina dianthifolia) has flowers with 3 blue petals. Prairie Spiderwort (Tradescantia occidentalis) and Pinewoods Spiderwort (Tradescantia pinetorum) have flowers that lack boat-like spathes and have 3 blue petals.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Liliopsida – Monocotyledons
Subclass: Commelinidae
Order: Commelinales
Family: Commelinaceae – Spiderwort family
Genus: Commelina L. – dayflower
Species: Commelina erecta L. – whitemouth dayflower
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