Commelina communis is the Asian one that gets all of the credit, but if there's a visible 3rd petal like that, I think it's one of the natives, if ones goes by pics on USDA database. C. erecta and C. diffusa are natives and all look very similar.

All of the plants discussed here are in the Commelina family, a very confusing, misunderstood, and little researched bunch'o'plants.

I went by the garden store earlier and sure enough, there are both kinds growing prolifically on the ground around the plant tables. The pic of the blooming one didn't come out well enough to share, with my phone, the sticking-straight-up bloom tips aren't visible against the other leaves in the background, but here's a clump of regular C. repens, showing no signs of making any blooms. It has a lot better color than my potted patch shown above. Sure enough I forgot to look at the back of the leaves. Will go by again Monday. The blooming one is completely prostrate unless/until it decides to bloom. Then it goes straight up. The non-blooming, regular C. repens is always more upright.

Does it look like 2 different plants to y'all out there looking at these pics?



In this pic, there's a chunk of the non-bloomer in the middle.

The leaves in the middle of pic#2 do look different.
My leaves are green on both the front and back and are pointed rather then rounded. Still no signs of flowers.

How long have you noticed it being there? I've mailed pieces of both to a few people to see if they think they are different too. So far, all yes. Isn't it ironic, they're busy giving some plants 2nd and 3rd names, and we've got one we can't put one name on. That seems much more interesting to me...

FWIW, it makes a cool hanging plant, or you can guide it up a support, like the hanging arms of the hanging basket. Regular C. repens seems more interested in making side branches than going straight for the end of the world.

Does anybody understand the stuff at this link? What is "Leptocallisia?" Where are pics of the other Callisia species?

http://books.google.com/books?...

Close observation is hard work, but somebody's got to sit down with a cool drink and do it! So glad to have more folks in on the investigation. I'm on this task for the long haul, daggone it! Whenever there's something to report, I'll be here, making more tea and lemonade! Cheers!

This is the first year that I've seen it...no clue where it came from

terrafirma said:I've also got some of this coming up 'everywhere'. It's blooming this morning even after hubby mowed yesterday! I always thought it was some type of Tradescantia. But in this case, I believe it tends to be a late summer, early fall annual weed.

I'm fairly sure this is Commelina diffusa.

Tiffany...when I checked today I have flowers. They are exactly like the ones in your pictures. Now to figure out what the hey it is

At this point, it would come down to translating abbreviated plant jargon from a book, ID'ing by description, way beyond me. It's been suggested to me to investigate C. cordifolia but I can't find reliable pics, no source for that was offered, and am totally lost with the jargon. Maybe someone who can translate will help us, if you are in the same position (confused) when looking at the link I put Sep 27, 2013 4:31 PM CDT. My browser won't let me copy/paste the relevant info, or even search for info within the link. Lost, lost, lost...

I don't research well...and still on dial-up is very frustrating. Some links/sites seem to take forever

'm still clueless on the ID of this plant. Realized I have another clue though. Almost every stalk made a flower, and every stalk that did make a flower has died off, leaving only basal growth. Callisia repens is just getting longer and longer, as usual.

I've added a bunch of cuttings of other stuff to this pot, but you can see the mystery Callisia is all new basal growth, nothing long is left of it. (The longer pieces of naked stem are Portulaca.) A couple months ago, long pieces were growing up the hanging arms like vines, and other pieces were dangling 6+ inches over the sides. It did that last year and I thought I let it get too dry. I paid more attention this time.


When you get a minute where you can look without your eyeballs freezing, curious what yours is doing outside after this cold snap, Ginger? I'll try to go by the 'garden center' where it's growing all over the floor and pots and check up on it there.

I'm pretty sure it's C. cordifolia
http://www.efloras.org/florata...
C. repens: Inflorescences sessile in distal leaf axils; flowers sessile or subsessile; petals inconspicuous; stamens 0--6; ovary and capsule 2-locular
C. cordifolia: Inflorescences pedunculate; flowers distinctly pedicellate; petals conspicuous; stamens 6; ovary and capsule 3-locular

I "think" mine is still nice and green outside...will look when I get home

@gingin @plantladylin

This Callisia cordifolia should be forming peduncles that turn it from a completely prostrate plant to one that's upright at the tips, at this time, if not already blooming at Lin's house.

Today:

Tiffany, we moved four years ago, it was the Inch Plant (Callisia repens) that I had at my old house.

Just went to look....some of mine is now upright with blooms

Hi Ginger! That's pretty cool.