Practical
Plants

Commelina communis

Day Flower

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.75 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

Leaves, flowers and young shoots - raw or cooked[9][2][6]. Chopped finely and added to salads or cooked as a potherb[8]. A sweet taste with a mucilaginous texture[7].

Plant part
Flowers
Plant part
Leaves

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

The leaves are depurative, diuretic and febrifuge[3][4]. Used as a throat gargle to relieve sore throats and tonsilitis[3][12]. A decoction of the dried plant is used to treat bleeding, diarrhoea, fever etc[11]. Extracts of the plant show antibacterial activity[11].

Product or use
Antibacterial
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Depurative
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Febrifuge

Material uses

A bright blue dye is obtained from the petals[15].

Product or use
Dye

Environment

Range
E. Asia - S. China, Japan, India.
Habitat
Partly shaded grassy places, cultivated fields and roadsides usually in moist places all over Japan[14][4].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 7+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Seed - sow March in a greenhouse. The seed usually germinates in 4 - 5 weeks at 20°c[5]. 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[10].

Cultivation

Prefers a light well-drained loam with added leafmold[1][13]. Requires a sheltered position[13]. This species is commonly cultivated as a vegetable in China[9]. The plant can be invasive[13], the stems sprawling along the ground and rooting as they go[K].

References

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

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

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  3. Brooklyn Botanic Garden Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  4. ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

  6. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

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  7. Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977-00-00

    ↩

  8. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

  11. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2

  12. Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  14. Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965-00-00

    ↩

  15. Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00

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