Spermatophyta: Monocotyledonae

Commelinaceae - Spiderwort family

Literature

Obermeyer, A.A. & Faden, R.B. (1985) Commelinaceae FSA 4(2)

Description of the family

Annual or perennial herbs, often succulent. Leaves alternate with a basal sheath enclosing the stem, often ciliate at the mouth. Inflorescences composed of cymes which may be few or numerous and aggregated into thyrses; sometimes subtended by or enclosed in spathes. Flowers actinomorphic or zygomorphic, bisexual or male, occasionally cleistogamous. Sepals 3. Petals 3, free or united, deliquescent, conspicuous, usually brightly coloured, often blue or yellow. Stamens 6, in 2 whorls; in some genera 1-4 modified into staminodes or suppressed. Style unbranched. Ovary superior, 2-3-locular. Fruit a 2-3-valved capsule, rarely indehiscent.

Worldwide: 39 genera and 640 species, occurring in tropical to subtemperate areas.

More sample images from the Commelinaceae (Click on each image to see a larger version and details of the record)

Commelina africana

Commelina forskaolii

Aneilema aequinoctiale

Aneilema nicholsonii

Cyanotis speciosa

Links to genera: (9) View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

Genus	Content
Aneilema R. Br.	Description, Image
Coleotrype C.B.Clarke
Commelina L.	Description, Image
Cyanotis D. Don	Description, Image
Floscopa Lour.	Description, Image
Gibasis Raf.	Image
Murdannia Royle	Description, Image
Tradescantia L.	Description
Triceratella Brenan

Other sources of information about Commelinaceae:

Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Commelinaceae page
Flora of Mozambique: Commelinaceae
GRIN (Germplasm Resources Information Network) taxonomy for plants report for Commelinaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar