Commelina benghalensis L. APNI* 
Description: Perennial herb; stems prostrate or ascending, sparsely and shortly pubescent, sometimes producing subterranean runners with cleistogamous, reduced flowers.
Leaves with lamina up to 5 cm long and 30 mm wide, pale green, apex obtuse to acute, base rounded or abruptly narrowed; sheath bearing long, reddish hairs at the mouth.
Spathes 1–3 at apices of branches, triangular, 1–1.5 cm long, apex short, acute, subsessile or on peduncles up to 0.8 cm long. Cymes 2, one sometimes suppressed. Inner tepals deep blue.
Capsule 5-seeded; dorsal loculus 1-seeded, indehiscent, ventral loculus 2-seeded; seeds 2–4 mm long, dark brown and pitted or furrowed.
Distribution and occurrence: Occasionally naturalised as a weed; north from Newcastle area on coast, also near Boggabilla. Native of trop. Afr. & Asia.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *NWP
Other Australian states: *Qld
Text by Peter G. Wilson (1993); edited KL Wilson (Jan 2015)
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 4 (1993)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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