Posted on by larksparrow

07/17/2022 finally dealt with identifying dayflowers

The seeds are rugose. This means rough. Commelina erecta, the native species, has mostly smooth seeds. C. diffusa and C. communis have rugose seeds.
The “spathe” is the part that enfolds the flower. In C. communis the veins are slightly darker, which I believe matches this.
The tiny third petal in front is white. Apparently it’s blue in C. diffusa.

All this to say, after keying out with the NC TX flower, I am disappointed to find my yard full of dayflowers appears to be full of the invasive, non-native version.

10 Replies to “07/17/2022 finally dealt with identifying dayflowers”

  3. Hmm..I thought the white third petal IDed it as whitemouthed dayflower, which is Commelina erecta. I’ll check the BRIT Flora again. Put it out on iNaturalist.

    Reply
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  6. Pingback: Dayflower identification redux : Cast Iron Forest to Skillet

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