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Commelina erecta L.
Whitemouth dayflower

Commelina erecta
Copyright by: Roger L. Hammer

Family: Commelinaceae

Group: Monocot

Substrate: Terrestrial

Habit: Herb

Perennation: Perennial

Native Range: United States, the West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America.

Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida

IRC SOUTH FLORIDA Status: Secure

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Native

SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status: Cultivated

Comments: Visit our Natives For Your Neighborhood website for more information and images.

Synonyms: C. angustifolia, C. elegans, C. hamipila.

Other data on Commelina erecta available from :

Commelina erecta has been found in the following 96 conservation areas :
Occurrence Native Status
A.D. Doug Barnes Park Present Native
Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Atlantic Dunes Park Present Native
Babcock Ranch Preserve Present Native
Bahia Honda State Park Present Native
Big Cypress National Preserve Present Native
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park Present Native
Bill Sadowski Park Present Native
Biscayne National Park Present Native
Blowing Rocks Preserve Present Native
Blue Heron Hammock, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Bocilla Preserve Present Native
Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve Present Native
Camp Owaissa Bauer Present Native
Cape Romano - Ten Thousand Islands Aquatic Preserve Present Native
Castellow Hammock Park Present Native
Cayo Costa State Park Present Native
Cedar Point Environmental Park Present Native
Collier-Seminole State Park Present Native
Coral Pines Park Present Native
Coral Reef Park Present Native
Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW) Present Native
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Present Native
County Line Scrub, Miami-Dade County Present Native
Crandon Park Present Native
Crystal Lake Sand Pine Scrub Natural Area Present Native
Curry Hammock State Park Reported
Deering Estate at Cutler Present Native
Dolphin Center and Dolphin Center Addition Present Native
Dupuis Reserve Present Native
Estero Bay Preserve State Park Present Native
Everglades National Park Present Native
Florida Atlantic University Ecological Site Present Native
Fred C. Babcock-Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area Present Native
Frenchman's Forest Natural Area Present Native
Gomez Present Native
Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Highlands Scrub Natural Area Present Native
Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Hobe Sound Sandhill Present Native
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park Present Native
Indian Key Historic State Park Presumed Extirpated Presumed Extirpated
J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
John D. MacArthur Beach State Park Present Native
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Doubtfully Present
Jonathan Dickinson State Park Present Native
Juno Dunes Natural Area Present Native
Key West National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Koreshan State Historic Site Present Native
Larry and Penny Thompson Park Present Native
Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park Present Native
Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park, Klopp Tract Present Native
Loggerhead Park Present Native
Long Key State Park Present Native
Ludlam Pineland Present Native
Luis Martinez United States Army Reserve Station, Richmond Pine Rocklands Present Native
Mound Key Archaeological State Park Present Native
Muscara Present Native
National Key Deer Refuge Possibly Extirpated Possibly Extirpated
Ned Glenn Nature Preserve Present Native
Nixon Smiley Pineland Addition Present Native
Nixon Smiley Pineland Preserve Present Native
Ocean Ridge Hammock Park Reported
Peck Lake Park Present Native
Pine Island Ridge Natural Area Present Native
Pine Jog Environmental Sciences Center Present Native
Pine Shore Preserve Present Native
Quail Roost Pineland Present Native
Railhead Scrub Preserve Present Native
Red Reef Park, including Gumbo Limbo Nature Center Present Native
Riverbend Park Present Native
Rockdale Pineland Present Native
Rocky Point Hammock Present Native
Ron Ehmann Park Present Native
Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Present Native
Rosemary Scrub Natural Area Present Native
Savannas Preserve State Park Present Native
Scrub Oak Park Present Native
Seabranch Preserve State Park Present Native
Seacrest Scrub Natural Area Present Native
Snake Creek Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
SOCSOUTH Present Native, Cultivated Only
South Beach Park Present Native
Stump Pass Beach State Park Present Native
Tamiami Pineland Complex Addition Present Native
Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Tilton Present Native
Tree Tops Park Present Native
Trinity Pineland Present Native
Tropical Park Present Native
Virginia Key Beach Park and Marine Stadium Present Native
Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park Present Native
Yamato Scrub Natural Area Present Native
Yellow Fever Creek Preserve Present Native
Zoo Miami Present Native

Commelina erecta has been found in the following 11 counties :
Occurrence Native Status
Broward County Native
Charlotte County Native
Collier County Native
Glades County Native
Hendry County Native
Lee County Native
Martin County Native
Miami-Dade County Native
Monroe County (Keys) Native
Monroe County (Mainland) Native
Palm Beach County Native

Commelina erecta has been found in the following 12 habitats :
Beach Dune
Coastal Grassland
Coastal Strand
Disturbed Upland
Dry Prairie
Keys Cactus Barren
Mesic Flatwoods
Pine Rockland
Sandhill
Scrub
Scrubby Flatwoods
Shell Mound

All Images:

Commelina erecta
Copyright by: Roger L. Hammer
Commelina erecta
Copyright by: Shirley Denton
Commelina erecta
Copyright by: Shirley Denton
Commelina erecta
Copyright by: Shirley Denton
Commelina erecta
Copyright by: Shirley Denton
Commelina erecta
Copyright by: Keith A. Bradley
Commelina erecta
Copyright by: Keith A. Bradley