Practical
Plants

Commelina erecta angustifolia

Whitemouth Dayflower

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

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.75 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

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

Tubers - cooked. Rich in starch[5][2][4], but with a fairly bland flavour.

Plant part
Root

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.

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

Salve. The mucilaginous sap is used to ease skin irritations[9][7].

Product or use
Salve
Product or use
Skin

Environment

Range
Southern N. America.
Habitat
Pinelands, sand dunes and fields[9].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 9+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

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[3]. 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[6].

Cultivation

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

Prefers a light well-drained loam with added leafmold[8]. 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[6]. 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[6].

References

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

    ↩

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

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

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

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

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  7. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩

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

    ↩

  9. Small. Manual of the Southeastern Flora.

    ↩1↩2

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