COMMELINE COELESTİS (dayflower)

Dayflower is a very proliferous plant. Almost all the pots of my terrace have it.
it grows under any plant . Once enter the soil there is no way to get rid of it..It keeps coming years and years . It is like a pest , persistent and stubborn , but I like it a lot and keep it in certain pots . Bright blue simple flower stay on the plant only one day. Kids laugh at it because flower looks like Mickey Mouse..it is funny..fun plant to have it around. Always healthy and susceptible to no pest .That amazes me.

A bright blue dye can be obtained from blue petals. They contain pigment of Comelinine and Flavocommeline .

It has three petals lower one is white and smaller that blue ones . So I suppose that one has no pigment . How two petals have and third one doesn't , is very curious .

Its scientific name was given by a Dutch Horticulturist means that ancient Greek or in China or in India and Arab world of medicine had not known .!! I highly doubt about it . I am sure it had been known under different name .

It is edible....Leaves , flowers and young shoots can be eaten raw or cooked . I give you a quick and simple receipt..Boil it with salt and serve with white souce or butter . A sweet taste with a mucilaginous effect .Can it be used medically ? answer is yes..
The leaves are depurative , diuretic and febrifuge . Used as a throat gargle to relieve sore throat and tonsilitis . A decoction of the dried plant is used to treat bleeding , diarrhea fever etc. And extract of the plant shows antibacterial activity .
So a quick literature search indicates all .
Someone also noted that dayflower is also suppose to increase sexual potency in old age . That makes me smile.. Now I look at the plant a bit different . I can make this short information about Commuline very famous if I give the title of ' Increase Sexual Potency by Wild Plant' .. But I will not.. Who knows maybe this insignificant plant can be remembered with this funny comments.

 Final note...I am a plant scientist but not herbalist...so all the information here concerning ediblity and medical values have to be double checked with professional
herbalist.





Additional Pictures... observe the seed just developing.. It is unusual to see two flower like this on the same branch at least on my terrace..

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