Commelina schweinfurthii C.B.Clarke
subsp. ceciliae (C.B. Clarke) Faden

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Commelina schweinfurthii subsp. ceciliae

Photo: Bart Wursten
Borrowdale Common, Harare

Photo: Bart Wursten
Kopje Tops, Mavhuradonha Wilderness Area

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Synonyms:	Commelina ceciliae C.B. Clarke
Common names:
Frequency:	Frequent
Status:	Native
Description:	Perennial herb with tufted, straggling or erect, densely pubescent stems up to 60 cm long; roots thick sometimes tuberous. Leaves sessile, sheathing at the base, densely pubescent; in this subsp. mostly flat, linear-oblong to ovate, 3-19 cm long, deeply cordate at the base; margin ciliate at least towards the apex. Spathes solitary, 1.5-3 cm long and 1-1.3 cm high, green, more or less densely marked purple on the veins, densely hairy; margin fused 4-9 mm. Peduncle 1.5-4 cm long, densely pubescent. Flowers solitary and male in upper cluster; bisexual and 6-15-flowered in lower cluster. Paired petals mauve-blue, purple, violet-blue, pale lilac, pinkish-mauve or reddish-lilac, ovate to kidney-shaped, 11-16 mm long with a reddish claw 4-6 mm long; medial petal minute, filiform, white. Capsules pale yellow or greyish-brown, sometimes with darker spots, 2-valved, 5.5-8.3 mm long, 4-seeded.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	schweinfurthii: after Dr Georg August Schweinfurth (1836-1925), German botanical collector and taxonomist.
Habitat:	Woodland and grassland, usually in seasonally wet or swampy areas
Altitude range: (metres)
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	DRC, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe distribution:	N,W,C,E
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Images last updated:	Saturday 23 February 2013
Literature:	Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 294. as Commelina ceciliae Faden, R. (2012). Commelinaceae Flora of Tropical East Africa Pages 222 - 226. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 86. as Commelina ceciliae Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 108. as Commelina ceciliae

Other sources of information about Commelina schweinfurthii subsp. ceciliae:

Our websites:

Flora of Malawi: Commelina schweinfurthii subsp. ceciliae
Flora of Zambia: Commelina schweinfurthii subsp. ceciliae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Commelina schweinfurthii
African Plant Database: Commelina schweinfurthii
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Commelina schweinfurthii
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Commelina schweinfurthii
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Commelina schweinfurthii
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Commelina schweinfurthii
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Commelina schweinfurthii
JSTOR Plant Science: Commelina schweinfurthii
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Commelina schweinfurthii
Plants of the World Online: Commelina schweinfurthii
Tropicos: Commelina schweinfurthii
Wikipedia: Commelina schweinfurthii