Common Dayflower Commelina communis

Asiatic Dayflower is a herbaceous, summer annual in the spiderwort family that can be erect at 3 feet high or spread for up to 10 feet across the ground like a vine. It is a weedy, sprawling plant that often roots at the joints of stems. The 1 inch flowers are blue/purple and appear singly on a 2 inch stalk from mid-summer to early fall. Each flower blooms during the morning for a single day, hence the common name. The root system is fibrous and the plant can root and form new plants vegetatively. At favorable sites, the Asiatic Dayflower forms colonies that can exclude other species of plants and it is considered invasive in several States.

According to the Morton Arboretum, Commelina was named after the three Dutch botanists in the Commelin family, Johann (1629-1698), Kasper (1667-1731), and a third who died at a young age. Linnaeus felt the flowers represented the three botanists, each flower having two showy petals and a third inconspicuous petal, referring to the two accomplished botanists and the third who died before accomplishing anything of great botanical significance. Communis means "growing in colonies."

This plant does best in partial shade, in moist to mesic conditions, with a fertile soil that is loamy or slightly sandy. Asiatic Dayflower tolerates full sun and light shade.

Asiatic Dayflower can spread aggressively and become a pest. It is resistant to herbicides; nonetheless, some gardeners encourage its growth as a ground cover in moist, woody areas. The plant is a preferred food source of the White-Tailed Deer.

Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems:

No known diseases or insect pests.