,r\/*> - National Science Foundation
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30. COMMELINACEAE<br />
I. Commelina diffusa Burm. f, Fl. Ind. 18. 1768. (Fig. 118).<br />
Commelina nudiflora Linn.—Commelina communis Walt.—Commelina cacspitosa Roxb.—<br />
Commeiina agrarea Kunth—Commelina salicifolia Bojer—Commelina longicaulis Jacq.—<br />
Tradescantia cristata Naves<br />
Sinh. Girapala; Hindi Kanshura; Sans. Katsapriya, Koshapushpi.<br />
Annual, nearly glabrous, prostrate or subscandent, branching herb, rooting at the rather<br />
distant nodes, tips ascending; leaves simple, 37—7.5 cm long, 1 2—1.6 cm broad, sessile,<br />
lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, acute or acuminate, glabrous or puberulous, ciliate, sheath 1.2—<br />
2.5'cm long, loose, glabrous; flowers irregular, bisexual, 1.2—1.6 cm broad, shortly<br />
pedicel led. in simple or bifid scorpiod cymes, I to few-flowered, enclosed in a spathe from which<br />
the flowers emerge singly; spathes 1.6—2.5 cm long, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, acute, glabrous<br />
or pubescent, base cordate with rounded lobes; sepals 3, small, free or 2 connate; petals 3, the two<br />
interior, large-clawed, orbicular or cordate and dark blue in colour, the third smaller, subsessile<br />
and of a paler blue colouration; stamens 3, perfect, hypogynous, filaments slender, naked, anthers<br />
oblong, one larger than the others; staminodes 3, like stamens but deformed with cruciform<br />
anthers; ovary superior, 3-locular, 2 loculi each 2-ovuIed and the third loculus l-ovuled, style<br />
slender, glabrous, stigma punctiform; capsule 5 mm long, broadly oblong, acuminate, coriaceous,<br />
5-sceded, hidden in the spathe by the decurving of the pedicel after flowering, loculicidally<br />
3-valved with the dorsal valve indehiscent; seeds oblong, tubercled, reticulate and brown in<br />
colour.<br />
Flowers mostly during January.<br />
Illustrations. Burmann fil., Fl. Ind. pi. 1,fig. 2. 1768; Herb. Peradeniya drawing.<br />
Distribution. Grows throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of India, Ceylon,<br />
Malay Pennisula, China and in the Philippine Islands. It is a very common herb in shady places<br />
amongst grass in the low-country in Ceylon. '<br />
Ceylon. Central Prov., Pelwehera Tank, Simpson 9814, June 1932; Peradeniya, Bot.<br />
Gard., Herb. Peradeniya., Jan. 1889; Talawakelle, Watagoda Road, Simpson 8913,Nov. 1931;<br />
Ambawela, A. M. Silva, f4arch 1906; Haputale, A. M. Silva, May 1906. Malaya. Perak: Wray<br />
Jr. 799. Indo-China. Hue and vicinity, Squires 12, Jan.—May 1927.<br />
Uses. The bruised plant is applied to burns, itches and boils with beneficial results.<br />
In Ghana, it is pounded with seeds of Leea guineensis G. Don and Piper nigrum, made into a<br />
poultice in a heated plantain leaf and applied for relief of swellings of the groin. An eye lotion<br />
is prepared from it in Nigeria.<br />
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