White-mouth Dayflower in Bloom
September 06, 2021
Photographer: Menashe Davidson
Summary Author: Menashe Davidson
You can only be amazed while watching the marvelous white-mouth dayflower (Commelina erecta) during blooming (top photo). These ephemeral flowers (perennial herb) only bloom for half a day, from about sunrise until noon, but there are many buds on the plant that will open in the following days.
Commelina erecta is native to much of the world but may be considered invasive in some areas. The root pattern is rhizomatous with underground stems sending roots and shoots everywhere along their length. But these defects, from the gardening point of view, weren’t sufficient to deter me from domesticating them in my home garden in Rishon LeZion, Israel.
The name “white-mouth” likely results from the flower structure – two earlike, lovely blue petals and a lower small white petal between and below the others. The placement of the tiny white petal gives the appearance of a small, white mouth. Stamens are long, quite curved and pale purple, while pistils are bright yellow and conspicuous (bottom photo). It’s a profuse bloomer and may remain in near constant half-day flowering throughout the season. The white-mouth dayflower is a beautifully designed flower! Click here to see a video of Commelina erecta during its morning bloom.