Editing Commelina (section)

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants}}
{{Automatic taxobox
|image = Two-blue-petals bgiu 02.jpg
|image_caption = ''Commelina communis'' flower with typical arrangement of floral parts: 3 [[staminode]]s are present above, 3 fertile stamens below with the central one differing in size and form, and a single style emerging between them (curved in this species).
|taxon = Commelina
|authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
|type_species = ''Commelina communis''
|type_species_authority = L.
|subdivision_ranks = Species
|subdivision = See [[List of Commelina species|List of ''Commelina'' species]]
|synonyms_ref = <ref name = powo>{{cite web |title=''Commelina'' Plum. ex L. |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30009591-2 |website=[[Plants of the World Online]] |publisher=[[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]] |access-date=24 March 2025}}</ref>
|synonyms = 
*''Allosperma'' <small>Raf.</small>
*''Allotria'' <small>Raf.</small>
*''Ananthopus'' <small>Raf.</small>
*''Athyrocarpus'' <small>Schltdl. ex Benth. 1883 not Schltdl. 1855 nor Schltdl. ex Hassk. 1866</small>
*''Commelinopsis'' <small>Pichon</small>
*''Dirtea'' <small>Raf.</small>
*''Disecocarpus'' <small>Hassk.</small>
*''Erxlebia'' <small>Medik.</small>
*''Eudipetala'' <small>Raf.</small>
*''Hedwigia'' <small>Medik.</small>
*''Heterocarpus'' <small>Wight</small>
*''Isanthina'' <small>Rchb. ex Steud.</small>
*''Larnalles'' <small>Raf.</small>
*''Lechea'' <small>Lour.</small>
*''Nephralles'' <small>Raf.</small>
*''Omphalotheca'' <small>Hassk.</small>
*''Ovidia'' <small>Raf.</small>
*''Phaeosphaerion'' <small>Hassk.</small>
*''Spathodithyros'' <small>Hassk.</small>
*''Tapheocarpa'' {{small|Conran}}
*''Trithyrocarpus'' <small>Hassk.</small>
}}

'''''Commelina''''' is a genus of approximately 208 species<ref name=powo/> commonly called '''dayflowers''' due to the short lives of their flowers. They are less often known as '''widow's tears'''. It is by far the largest genus of its family, [[Commelinaceae]].<ref>{{citation| last=Acevedo-Rodriguez| first=Pedro |author2=Strong, Mark T.| journal=Contributions of the United States National Herbarium| title=Monocotyledons and Gymnosperms of Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands| volume=52| pages=157–158| year=2005}}</ref> The Swedish taxonomist [[Carl Linnaeus]] of the 18th century named the genus after the two Dutch botanists [[Jan Commelijn]] and his nephew [[Caspar Commelijn|Caspar]], each representing one of the showy petals of ''[[Commelina communis]]''.<ref name=flora>{{Citation| last =Faden| first =Robert | contribution =Commelina| year =2006| title =Flora of North America online | volume =22| contribution-url =http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=107770| place=New York & Oxford| publisher =Oxford University Press}}</ref>

The dayflowers are [[Herb#Botanical herbs|herb]]s that may be either perennial or annual. They are characterised by their [[zygomorphic]] flowers and by the involucral [[bract]]s called [[spathe]]s that surround the flower stalks.<ref name=chinaflora>{{Citation| last =Hong| first =Deyuan |author2=DeFillipps, Robert A.| contribution =Commelina diffusa | year =2000| title =Flora of China| editor-last =Wu| editor-first =Z. Y. |editor2=Raven, P.H. |editor3=Hong, D.Y. | volume =24| page =35| place=Beijing| publisher =Science Press; St. Louis: Missouri Botanical Garden Press| contribution-url =http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=107770}}</ref> These spathes are often filled with a mucilaginous liquid. Each spathe houses either one or two scorpioid [[Cyme (botany)|cymes]], with the upper cyme being either vestigial or bearing from one to several typically male flowers, and the lower cyme bearing several flowers. All members of the genus have alternate leaves.<ref name=flora/>

The Asiatic dayflower (''[[Commelina communis]]'') is probably the best known species in the West. It is a common [[weed]] in parts of [[Europe]] and throughout eastern [[North America]].<ref name=flora/> Several species, such as ''[[Commelina benghalensis]]'', are eaten as a [[leaf vegetable]] in [[Southeast Asia]] and [[Africa]].<ref name=Pakistan>{{Citation| last =Qaiser| first=M. |author2=Jafri, S.M.H.| contribution =Commelina benghalensis| year =1975| title =Flora of Pakistan| editor-last =Ali| editor-first =S.I. |editor2=Qaiser, M.| volume =84| page =10| contribution-url =http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=222000036| place=St. Louis| publisher =University of Karachi & Missouri Botanical Garden}}</ref>