Virginia Day-Flower
Commelina virginica
Family: Commelinaceae
What it is like
Commelina virginica is a ANNUAL/PERENNIAL growing to 1.2 m (4ft). It is in flower from June to August, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.
Height (m): 1.2
Where it is found
Wet places, especially swamps, river and stream banks, ditches, and bottomlands in shade or full sun.
Southern N. America. Naturalized in Europe in S. Italy.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Tubers - cooked. Rich in starch, but with a fairly bland flavour. Edible leaves.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Prefers a light fairly dry well-drained loam with added leafmold. Prefers a sunny position with some shelter. Plants are not very winter hardy in Britain, the roots are best dug up in autumn and stored like dahlias in a cool frost free place. When grown in a light well-drained soil and mulched well, the roots usually survive the winter outdoors. The roots of this plant do not seem to be tuberous, the plant seems to be more like an annual.
Propagating it: Seed - sow March in a greenhouse. The seed usually germinates in 4 - 5 weeks at 20°c. 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. Cuttings during the growing season. Very easy.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Annual/Perennial
Hardiness:
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Dry, moist