Murdannia

Scientific name

Murdannia Royle

Common names

Asian spiderwort, Asian dayflower, dewflower

Family

Commelinaceae

Similar genera

Commelina, Floscopa, Sphaerocaryum, Tradescantia

Native distribution

pan-tropical; most species native in Asia

Species cultivated

Murdannia keisak (Hassk.) Hand.-Mazz.

Adventive distribution

Murdannia keisak is naturalized in Europe and North America.

M. nudiflora (L.) Brenan is introduced to tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

M. spirata (L.) G.Brückn. is introduced into North America.

Weed status

Murdannia blumei (Hassk.) Brenan, M. keisak, and M. nudiflora are weeds in rice fields.

Habit

creeping to ascending emergentemergent:
(adj) (syn. emersed) with parts raised out of the water; extending up out of the water
stem plantstem plant:
(n) (a term used in the aquarium and pond plant trade) having an elongate stem (as opposed to a compact stem)

Brief description

Stems creeping to ascending or floating, sometimes erect. Leaves alternatealternate:
(adj) (of leaves) bearing one leaf per node; placed singly on the stem at different heights
, with membranous sheaths; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
linear to lanceolatelanceolate:
(adj) lance-shaped; widest point below the middle, tapering to the apex
. Flowers 1-3 in leaf axils or in terminalterminal:
(adj) at the apex
or axillaryaxillary:
(adj) in, of, or produced from an axil
inflorescences, sometimes cleistogamouscleistogamous:
(adj) (of flowers) remaining closed, self-pollinating, and setting fertile seed
. Sepals 3, green; petals 3, subequal, blue, white, or pink; staminodes with bright yellow apices, alternating with stamens or 1 or absent. Seeds with distinctive embryotegaembryotega:
(n) an outgrowth of the seed coat, found in the family Commelinaceae
. Capsule 3-valved; dispersal by seed.

Natural habitat

shallow water, littorallittoral:
(adj) of or along the shore
areas, and wet ground

Additional comments

A genus of 53 accepted species with some amphibiousamphibious:
(adj) of a plant able to live on land or in water
wetland species and two aquatic. Not strictly aquatic, and prefers wet ground in the riparianriparian:
(adj) growing by rivers or streams; of, adjacent to, or living on, the banks of a river, lake, pond, etc.
zone, where it is often dominant.