PlantFiles: Scrub Dayflower, Slender Dayflower, Whitemouth Dayflower, Hierba de Pollo
Commelina erecta

very invasive down here--I battle it every year!

This is a beautiful wild flower native to Florida. I have been experimenting with it, hoping I could increase the size of the bloom. Natural here, but more of a problem are the commelina that grow as a vining matt. The bloom is smaller, but still that lovely color.

Found in sandy, rocky areas, open woods and gravel flats from Eastern CO to southeastern AZ, NM, and TX...also, somewhat in the eastern US in waste places.

The Spanish name, Hierba de Pollo, means 'herb of the chicken'

Commelina erecta is a native plant from the southeastern and south-central United States south into central America. Although it is an increaser with disturbance, it is an attractive wildflower of natural areas, particularly on dry, sandy soils. This is an example of a species which is native in the United States, but an an invasive exotic in South America.

This is a common invasive species in North America and the humid southern half of South America, where it colonized firstly as an ornamental plant, then became invasive. This plant can compete against some grasses over naked fertile soil, and win sometimes. I had this plant growing in my containers once, and had a lot of work to get rid of it.

But I can say that the flower is really nice, though. The sky blue collor is not very common, and is, of course, way more pleasant than most of invasive weeds.

It can be planted on moist, rich soil, under full sun to partial shade. It´s frost resistant. I wouldn´t grow this plant, but it may be an interesting choice as a ground cover.