Practical
Plants

Commelina coelestis

Blue Spider Wort

a perennial member of the Commelina genus in the family Commelinaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.45 m
Spread
0.3 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Tubers - cooked[6]. Starchy[2]. The plant forms a clump of thin finger-shaped roots about 7 - 10cm long. These are easily harvested, though overall yields are low. The roots have a fairly bland flavour and an acceptable texture[K]. By no means a favourite root crop, but acceptable in small quantities[K].

Plant part
Root

Environment

Range
Southern N. America - Mexico.
Habitat
Not known
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 9+
Soil textures
sandy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
drought
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
tolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow March in a greenhouse. The seed usually germinates in 4 - 5 weeks at 20°c[4]. Prick the seedlings out into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant out in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts. Division in early spring. The root clump consists of a number of finger-shaped roots joined together at their tops. When dividing this, it is important to ensure that each division has at least one growing bud at the top[111, K]. Pot up the divisions and grow them on in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are established and then plant them out in late spring, after the last expected frosts[K]. Cuttings during the growing season. These root very easily[7].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Prefers a light well-drained loam with added leafmold and a warm sunny position[8][3][5]. Established plants are drought tolerant[5]. A very ornamental plant[1], it is not very winter hardy in Britain so the roots are best dug up in autumn and stored like dahlias in a cool frost free place[1]. When grown in a light well-drained soil and mulched well, the roots usually survive the winter outdoors, at least in the milder areas of the country[111, K]. This plant is very attractive to slugs[K].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  3. Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge 1926-00-00

    ↩

  4. Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990-00-00

    ↩

  5. Chatto. B. The Dry Garden. Dent 1982-00-00 ISBN 0460045512

    ↩1↩2

  6. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

  7. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩

  8. Grey. C. H. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate. 1938-00-00

    ↩

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