Description
Potentially Misidentified Species - Commelina virginica (Virginia Dayflower) and C. erecta (Whitemouth Dayflower) are native; C. communis (Common Dayflower) and Murdannia nudiflora (Naked Stem Dewflower) are introduced in North America (Faden 1993; Fernald 1950; Gleason and Cronquist 1991).
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plantae | Magnoliophyta | Liliopsida | Commelinales | Commelinaceae | Commelina |
Synonyms
Invasion History
Chesapeake Bay Status
| First Record | Population | Range | Introduction | Residency | Source Region | Native Region | Vectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | Established | Expanding | Cryptogenic | Boundary Resident | North America | Unknown-Continental | Agriculture(Agricultural Weed),Shipping(Dry Ballast),Ornamental(Garden Escape),Natural Dispersal(Natural Dispersal) |
History of Spread
Commelina diffusa (Spreading Dayflower) is a plant of moist soils which now has a worldwide pan-tropical/warm-temperate distribution. It is regarded by some authors as an introduction to North America from the Old World Tropics (Faden 1993; Gleason and Cronquist 1991), but is treated by others as native (Fernald 1950; Natural Resources Conservation Service 2001). Its history in North America has been been obscured by confusion with other native and introduced Commelinaceae, including the native C. erecta (Whitemouth Dayflower), and the introduced C. communis (Common Dayflower), C. caroliniana (Carolina Dayflower), Murdannia nudiflora (Naked Stem Dewflower), Murdannia keisak (Asian Dewflower) (Brashier 1966; Faden 1993). The first published record which we found (as C. nudiflora) was in Chapman (1897): 'low ground, Florida to North Carolina'. The oldest specimen of we are aware is dated 1837, from New Orleans LA (U.S. National Herbarium collections). By the late 19th century, this plant was broadly distributed across the southeast west to AL and LA to KY and TN (U.S. National Herbarium collections). Brashier (1966) plotted additional records in TX, AR, MO, IL, IN, and OH. There have been sporadic records of C. diffusa as far north as PA, NY and VT (Natural Resources Conservation Service 2001).
The first record of C. diffusa from the Chesapeake Bay region appears to be a specimen collected by Fernald and Lewis in 1938, from 'low woods and clearings' adjacent to Back Bay, south of Virginia Beach VA (U.S. National Herbarium collections). Subsequently, in 1939 Fernald found it in tidal marshes along the James River at Harrison Point in Charles City County VA (Fernald 1940). This is the only tidal record of which we're aware. This plant has been found in 9 VA tidewater counties (Harvill et al. 1992), and also in a lawn in Washington DC in 1982 (U.S. National Herbarium collections).
References- Brashier 1966 ; Chapman 1897; Faden 1993; Fernald 1940; Fernald 1950; Gleason and Cronquist 1991; Harvill et al. 1992; Natural Resources Conservation Service 2001; U.S. National Herbarium collections
Invasion Comments
Ecology
Environmental Tolerances
| For Survival | For Reproduction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | |
| Temperature (ºC) | ||||
| Salinity (‰) | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Oxygen | ||||
| pH | ||||
| Salinity Range | fresh-oligo |
Age and Growth
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Typical Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Maximum Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Maximum Longevity (yrs) | ||
| Typical Longevity (yrs |
Reproduction
| Start | Peak | End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive Season | |||
| Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event |
|||
| Sexuality Mode(s) | |||
| Mode(s) of Asexual Reproduction |
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| Fertilization Type(s) | |||
| More than One Reproduction Event per Year |
|||
| Reproductive Startegy | |||
| Egg/Seed Form |
Impacts
Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay
Commelina diffusa (Spreading Dayflower) appears to be scarce in the Chesapeake bay watershed. It has no reported economic impacts in the Chesapeake Bay region.
Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay
Commelina diffusa (Spreading Dayflower) has been reported as an invasive weed in the southeastern U.S. (Natural Resources Conservation Service 2001).
References- Natural Resources Conservation Service 2001
Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species
Commelina diffusa (Spreading Dayflower) appears to be rare in the Chesapeake bay watershed, and in tidal wetlands. It has no reported impacts on native biota in Chesapeake Bay or elsewhere. It has been reported as an invasive weed in the southeastern U.S. (Natural Resources Conservation Service 2001).
References- Natural Resources Conservation Service 2001
Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species
Commelina diffusa (Spreading Dayflower) appears to be rare in the Chesapeake bay watershed, and in tidal wetlands. It has no reported impacts on exotic biota in Chesapeake Bay or elsewhere. It has been reported as an invasive weed in the southeastern U.S. (Natural Resources Conservation Service 2001).
References- Natural Resources Conservation Service 2001
References
Brashier, Clyde K. (1966) A revision of Commelina (Plum.) L. in the USA, Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 93: 1-19Brown, Melvin L.; Brown, Russell G. (1984) Herbaceous Plants of Maryland, , College Park. Pp.
Chapman, A. W. (1897) Flora of the southern United States: containing an abridged description of the flowering plants and ferns of Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida: arranged according to the natural system., , Cambridge MA. Pp.
Faden, Robert B. (1993) The misconstrued and rare Species of Commelina (Commelinaceae) in the United States, Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 8: 208-218
Fernald, Merritt L. (1940) A century of additions to the Virginia flora, Rhodora 42: 390-498, -503-521
Fernald, Merritt L. (1950) Gray's Manual of Botany, In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.
Gleason, Henry A. (1963) The new Britton and Brown illustrated flora of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.
Gleason, Henry A.; Cronquist, Arthur (1991) Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, In: (Eds.) . , Bronx, New York. Pp.
Harvill, A. M.; Bradley, Ted R.; Stevens, Charles E.; Wieboldt, Thomas F.; Ware, Donna M. E.; Ogle, Douglas W.; Ramsey, Gwynn W.; Fleming, Gary P. (1992) Atlas of the Virginia Flora, , Burkeville, VA. Pp.
1997-2024 USDA PLANTS Database.. Onine databse