Climbing Day Flower, Gewor (Commelina diffusa L.)

Commelina diffusa located in Sumedang, Indonesia.

Classification

Kingdom	: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom	: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Division	: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Subdivision	: Angiospermae – Seed encloses plants
Class	: Liliopsida – Monocotyledons
Order	: Commelinales
Family	: Commelinaceae –  Spiderwort family
Genus	: Commelina –  dayflower
Species	: Commelina diffusa Burm. f. (1768) – Climbing Day Flower

Synonym(s)

·       Commelina agraria Kunth (1843)

·       Commelina aquatica J.K.Morton (1956)

·       Commelina communis Benth., non L. (1849)

·       Commelina longicaulis Jacq.

·       Commelina nudiflora auct. non L.

(CABI, 2018).

Popular Name(s)

• Local name(s): Gewor (Sundanese and mostly Indonesian: but it refers to genus, so all of Commelina species are also called "Gewor"), Brambangan (Javanese). 

• Common name(s):  Climbing Dayflower, Birdbill Dayflower, Creeping Day Flower, Spreading  Day Flower (English) (IUCN: Kumar, B. 2013).

Status

2011 - Least Concern: It has a wide distribution in the tropics and sub-tropics with no known treats (IUCN: Kumar, B. 2013).

Description

• Herbs: perennial or annual, spreading (Flora of NorthAmerica Editorial Committee, 2000; Caton et al., 2010).

• Stems: decumbent to scandent (Flora of North America Editorial Committee, 2000). The stem is round, fleshy and smooth and has swollen nodes (Akobundu and Agyakwa, 1998). Maximum high of about 1 m (Caton et al., 2010). 

• Leaves: Blade narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate-oblong, lanceolate-elliptic or ovate, margins scabrous, apex acute to acuminate, glabrous (Flora of North America Editorial Committee, 2000). Thea leaves are hairy, dark green, about 1.2-4 cm long and 0.6-1.5 cm wide (Akobundu and Agyakwa, 1998).

• Inflorescences: distal cyme 1-several-flowered, usually exserted; spathes solitary, bright green, without contrasting veins, pedunculate, usually distinctly falcate (Flora of North America Editorial Committee, 2000).

• Flowers: bisexual and staminate: petals all blue (rarely lavender), proximal petal smaller: medial stamen anther connective usually with transverse band violet: staminodes 2-3; antherodes yellow, medialoften absent or vestigial cruciform (Flora of North America Editorial Committee, 2000). The flower only opens in the mornings (Akobundu and Agyakwa, 1998).

• Capsules: 3-locular, 2-valved, 4-6.3 mm (Flora of North Amercia Editorial Committee, 2000).

• Seeds: 5 (or less through abortion), brown*, 2-2.8(-3.2) x 1.4-1.8 mm, deeply reticulate (Flora of North America Editorial Committee, 2000). It’s minute, smooth, white* seeds (Akobundu and Agyakwa, 1998).

Habitat & Microhabitat

It lived in the highlands, with maximal altitude 2000 m (Caton et al., 2010). A pan-tropical weed of field crops, often found under shades, on lawns and waste areas (Akobundu and Agyakwa, 1998).

Flower Life

The flowering time is earlier than rice. Innate dormancy and caused by high temperatures  (Caton et al., 2010).

Ecology

When growing in rice and other lowland crops the weed may be almost subaquatic. C. diffusa can withstand flooding and readily infests cultivated lands, roadsides, pastures and wastelands. C. diffusa is primarily a problem in young crops during the first 2-5 weeks, but it can also be a problem in mature crops due to its sprawling behaviour (CABI, 2018).

Distribution

Native: Bangladesh; Bhutan, Cambodia; China; Guyana; India; Korea, Malaysia; Myanmar; Nepal; New Caledonia; South Africa; Sri Lanka’ Taiwan; Thailand; Viet Nam, Yemen; Lao People’s Democratic Republic (IUCN: Kumar, B. 2013).

Recorded in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Indonesia, India, Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippine, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam (Caton et al., 2010)

Treatment

·       Herbicide,  but it’s rather tolerant of  tolerant to Synthetic auxins (AS)

·       Manual, continuously flooded at beginning, weeding by hand

(Caton et al., 2010).

Utilisation

·       Ornamental plant by domestication (Waluyo, 2016).

·       Traditional medicine: Heal wound, fever, headache (Widhyastini et al., 2012).

Pharmacology

It contains saponin, polyphenol and flavonoids (Widhyastini et al., 2012).

Toxicity

-

Pictures

References

• Akobundu, I. O., and C. W. Agyakwa. 1998. A Handbook of West African Weeds. Ibadan: International Institute of Tropical Agriculture. 
• CABI. 2018. Commelina diffusa (Spreading Day Flower). Accessed on 29 August 2018.
• Caton, B. P.,  Mortimer M. Hill, J. E., and D. E. Johnson. 2010. A Practical field guide to weeds of rice in Asia. Second Edition. Los Banos (Philippines): International Rice Research. Institute. 118.p
• Flora of North America Editorial Committee. 2000. Flora of North America: Volume 22: Magnoliophyta: Alismatidae, Arecidae, Commelinidae (in part), and Zingiberidae. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Kumar, B. 2013. Commelina diffusa. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T177028A17627935.  Accessed on 29 August 2018.
• Plant USDA. Commelina diffusa. Accessed on 29 August 2018.
• Waluyo, Bambang. 2016. Blue Purple Garden: Si Commelina, Si Rumput Biru Nan Cantik. Accessed on 29 August 2018.
• Widhyastini, I. G. A., Yuliani, N., and F. Nurilmala, 2012. Weed identification and potential under the Stands of Superior Teak Nusantara (JUN) in Experiment Garden of University of Nusa Bangsa, Cogreg, Bobor. Journal sains Natural Universitas Nusa Bangsa. Vol 2(2); 186-200.