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Commelina erecta angustifolia

Common name:	Whitemouth Dayflower	Family:	Commelinaceae
Author:	(Michx.)Fernald.	Botanical references:	72, 200
Synonyms:	Commelina angustifolia (Michx.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Southern N. America.
Habitat:	Pinelands, sand dunes and fields[72].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	C. crispa[B,P] C. erecta var. angustifolia[B,P] C. erecta var. crispa[B,P] C. nashii[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Whitemouth Dayflower [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	angustifolia = narrow leaved erecta = erect recta = erect
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Commelinales. Spiderwort family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.75m. It is hardy to zone 9. 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 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 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

Woodland, Cultivated Beds, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Root.

Tubers - cooked. Rich in starch[2, 105, 177], but with a fairly bland flavour.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Salve Skin.

Salve. The mucilaginous sap is used to ease skin irritations[72, 257].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Prefers a light well-drained loam with added leafmold[42].
This species is not very winter hardy, the roots are best dug up in autumn and stored like dahlias in a cool frost free place being planted out in spring[200]. When grown in a light well-drained soil and mulched well, the roots usually survive the winter outdoors[1].
This plant is possibly no more than a narrow-leafed form of the highly variable C. erecta[200].

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

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Commelina erecta var. angustifolia (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for the family Commelinaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

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.

[72] Small. Manual of the Southeastern Flora.
Getting rather dated now, it covers Southeastern N. America. No pictures, it is not for the casual reader.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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