Whitemouth Dayflower
Commelina erecta angustifolia

Family: Commelinaceae

What it is like

Commelina erecta angustifolia is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.8 m (2ft 7in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9. It is in flower from July to September, 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): 0.8

Where it is found

Rocky woods and hillsides, scrub oak woods, pine woods and barrens, sand dunes, hummocks, shale barrens, roadsides, railroad rights-of-way, fields, and occasionally a weed in cultivated ground.

Southern N. America.

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.

Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.

Medicine

Rating: 1

Salve. The mucilaginous sap is used to ease skin irritations.

Salve: Soothes and heals damaged skin.

Skin: Plants used in miscellaneous treatments for the skin.

Other

Rating:

How it is grown

Prefers a light well-drained loam with added leafmold. 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. When grown in a light well-drained soil and mulched well, the roots usually survive the winter outdoors. This plant is possibly no more than a narrow-leafed form of the highly variable C. erecta. Whilst some botanists recognise it as a variety of C. erecta, the Flora of North America does not accept varietal difference and merges it into the species.

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: Perennial

Hardiness: 8-11

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

C. angustifolia. Michx.