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Commelina communis

Common name: Day Flower Family: Commelinaceae
Author: L. Botanical references: 58, 200, 266
Synonyms:  
Known Hazards: None known
Range: E. Asia - S. China, Japan, India.
Habitat: Partly shaded grassy places, cultivated fields and roadsides usually in moist places all over Japan[58, 147].
Edibility Rating (1-5): 3Medicinal Rating (1-5):2

Other Common Names:From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
Asiatic Dayflower [B,L,P], Common Dayflower [L],
Epithets:From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
communis = common;
Systematics:From a USDA Plants Database
Order: Commelinales. Spiderwort family
Other Range Info: From the Ethnobotany Database
China; Japan
Noxious, Invasive and Injurious WeedsFrom USDA PLANTS database, Weeds Australia , DEFRA Injurious Weeds
Listed as noxious/invasive for: USA Invasive.

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.75m. It is hardy to zone 7. It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Flowers; Leaves.

Leaves, flowers and young shoots - raw or cooked[2, 105, 177]. Chopped finely and added to salads or cooked as a potherb[183]. A sweet taste with a mucilaginous texture[179].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antibacterial; Astringent; Depurative; Diuretic; Febrifuge.

The leaves are depurative, diuretic and febrifuge[116, 147]. Used as a throat gargle to relieve sore throats and tonsilitis[116, 266].
A decoction of the dried plant is used to treat bleeding, diarrhoea, fever etc[218].
Extracts of the plant show antibacterial activity[218].

Other Uses

Dye.

A bright blue dye is obtained from the petals[74].

Cultivation details

Prefers a light well-drained loam with added leafmold[1, 42]. Requires a sheltered position[42].
This species is commonly cultivated as a vegetable in China[2].
The plant can be invasive[42], the stems sprawling along the ground and rooting as they go[K].

Propagation

Seed - sow March in a greenhouse. The seed usually germinates in 4 - 5 weeks at 20°c[164]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots plant them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in early spring. Make sure that each portion has at least one growing bud[111, K].
Cuttings during the growing season. Very easy[200].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

References for the family Commelinaceae.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[42] Grey. C. H. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate. 1938
Rather dated now, but an immense work on bulbs for temperate zones and how to grow them. Three large volumes.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[111] Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge 1926
A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.

[116] Brooklyn Botanic Garden Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden 1986
A small booklet packed with information.

[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[179] Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977
A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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