Commelina erecta: Properties, Distribution, Uses and Agricultural Management

  • Commelina erecta is a perennial herb widely distributed in America and Africa, with adaptability to diverse habitats and soils.
  • It has valuable medicinal properties and is traditionally used to treat eye, digestive, and dermatological conditions.
  • It is recognized for its resistance to glyphosate and its potential as a weed in extensive crops, which is why it requires integrated management.
  • Its ornamental and ecological value makes it a species of interest both for gardening and for biodiversity conservation.
Germán PortilloUpdated on

11 minutes

Commelina erecta properties and distribution

Introduction to Commelina erecta

commelina erecta, Commonly known as Saint Lucia flower, espuelitas, hierba del pollo, among other local and indigenous names, is a species of perennial herbaceous plant in the family Commelinaceae. It is of great interest to both botany and ethnobotany and agriculture due to its wide distribution, adaptability, and multiple medicinal and ecological properties. This species is frequently found in secondary vegetation, mainly in humid tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas and Africa, although its range extends from North America to South America.

Saint Lucia flower details

Taxonomy and Common Names

  • Kingdom: Plant
  • Division: Magnoliophyta
  • Class: Liliopsida (Monocotyledons)
  • Order: Commelinales
  • Family: commelinaceae
  • Gender: Commelina
  • Species: C. erecta L.

Synonyms: Commelina elegans Kunth, C. virginica L., C. sulcata Willd., C. pallida Willd.

Popular names: Santa Lucía, baguero mini (guaraní), grass of the chicken, mataliste, matliz, tripa de gallina (Mexico), espuelitas, Lucía kachú (araucano-pampa), uashashalét (vilela), Leandro Gómez, blue cohíte, matlalina, pah-tsá (maya), tradescantia, and others.

English names: Erect dayflower, whitemouth dayflower, widow's tears, slender dayflower.

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Indigenous names: pah-tsá, x-habul-ha, ya'ax-ha-xiu (Maya), haape ningye (Gran Chaco).

Detailed Morphological Description

commelina erecta is a perennial, branching, ascending or erect herb, with stems that can be recumbent and root at the nodesDepending on the environment, it can reach between 10 and 90 cm, although most specimens are found around 25-50 cm.

  • Stems: Fleshy, green, cylindrical, branching almost from the base, finely pubescent or hairy. They can produce adventitious roots at the basal nodes, contributing to their vegetative propagation.
  • Sheets: Alternate, lanceolate or ovate, 5-15 cm long by 2-4 cm wide, with a sharp apex, rounded base and provided with a sheathing pod with small lobes (auricles) and white hairs, especially on the pod.
  • Inflorescence: Generally clustered at the stem apex, protected by a spathiform bract (a green, cap-shaped spathe). It has one or two scorpioid cymes within the spathe, with few flowers (pauciflorous).
  • Flowers: Generally with two large, blue petals (although they can be lilac or white in rare cases) and a smaller, white or yellowish third lower petal. The corolla is slightly zygomorphic, with three unequal sepals and six stamens (three fertile with elongated anthers and three sterile staminodes with cruciform anthers).
  • Fruit: Loculicidal capsule, subglobose, 3-5 mm long, with 2-3 ellipsoidal, brown, smooth or slightly reticulated seeds.
  • Root: It has short, fleshy rhizomes capable of sprouting, which facilitates its vegetative expansion.

Commelina erecta flowers

Geographic Distribution and Habitat

commelina erecta It is one of the most widely distributed species of the genus Commelina, and can be found from the southern United States through Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, the Andean region, and into southern South America (including Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, and northern and central Argentina). It has also become naturalized in tropical regions of Africa and is common in a variety of habitats.

  • In Mexico: Records in numerous states: Baja California Sur, Chiapas, Colima, Mexico City, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Queretaro, Sinaloa, Tabasco, Veracruz, Yucatan, among others.
  • In Argentina: From Mendoza in the west to Buenos Aires in the east, and all the way north, it is found spontaneously on sidewalks and gardens, as well as in natural environments and agroecosystems.
  • Preferred habitats: Humid scrub and woodland, grasslands, cultivated land, roadsides, parks, gardens, wastelands, crop edges, and railway lines. It prefers sandy, fertile soils with good moisture and light shade, although it can adapt to dry sites.
  • Altitude: From sea level to approximately 1.500 meters above sea level.

This adaptability explains its role both as a native plant in natural ecosystems and its invasive potential in environments disturbed by agriculture and human development.

Commelina erecta flower and leaf detail

Biology, Ecology and Life Cycle

commelina erecta is a perennial species It can reproduce both sexually (through seeds) and vegetatively (through rhizomes and stem fragments with nodes). It can produce numerous branches (under favorable conditions, up to 50 per plant), which facilitates its dispersal and permanence in the ecosystem.

  • Sexual reproduction: Each plant can produce up to 1,000 seeds, with two types: long, low-dormancy seeds (which germinate quickly) and ovoid, longer-dormancy seeds (which can remain viable in the soil seed bank for more than two years). This gives it an adaptive advantage in the face of climate variability and disturbance.
  • Vegetative reproduction: Stems can root at nodes and form new plants. Rhizomes allow regrowth after adverse periods (drought, cold, cutting).
  • Pollination: The flowers are pollinated primarily by native stingless bees (such as halictids), although they are also visited by butterflies, beetles, and other insects. The presence of these pollinators contributes to the attraction of insectivorous birds.
  • Variability: Commelina erecta is one of the most variable species of its genus at the morphological level, which can make it difficult to identify and differentiate it from related species such as Commelina diffusa or C. coelestis.

The emergency cycle in the Southern Cone occurs mainly between spring and summer, with peaks depending on local conditions and rainfall patterns.

Special Characteristics and Differentiation of Similar Species

Commelina erecta is distinguished by its combination of two main blue petals and a smaller white (or pale yellow) petal, surrounded by a spathe with fused edges. Other similar species, such as Commelina diffusa, have three blue petals and spathes without fused edges.

  • Key features:
    • Rhizomatous stems, capable of re-sprouting from fragments.
    • Upper petals are large and deep blue, the lower petals are reduced and whitish.
    • Spathiform bract covering the inflorescences.
    • Ellipsoidal, brown, slightly reticulated seeds.
  • Varieties: Some authors have proposed different morphological varieties, although their taxonomic validity is debated.

Chemical Composition and Bioactive Components

Phytochemical research on Commelina erecta reveals the presence of various active compounds:

  • Anthocyanins (responsible for the blue color of flowers)
  • alkaloids
  • Saponins
  • Tannins
  • coumarins
  • Mucilages (especially in the bracts and interior of the flowers)
  • Flavonoids and other phenolic compounds

These components justify many of the medicinal uses attributed to it in popular tradition and supported by ethnobotany.

Commelina erecta flowers and structure

Medicinal Properties and Traditional Uses

Commelina erecta has been valued in various cultures for its medicinal and nutritional properties.Traditional and ethnobotanical sources cite the following uses:

  • Ophthalmology: The clear mucilage from the flowers and bracts is used to treat conjunctivitis, eye infections, irritated eyes, and eye pain. It is applied directly to the eyes or used as an eye wash.
  • Liver and digestive disorders: A decoction of the plant is used to relieve heartburn in the liver, stomach, and intestines; also to treat dysentery, heartburn, and sore throat.
  • Hemostatic and antihemorrhagic: Consuming the decoction would stop bleeding, help close internal and skin wounds, and cure fistulas and old sores.
  • Dermatological use: Fresh juice soothes the itching of rashes and is even used for local herpetic diseases.
  • Reproductive use: In certain ethnic groups of the Gran Chaco, a decoction of leaves and branches is taken to promote fertility and as an oxytocic during childbirth.
  • Other uses: It helps with postpartum complications, rickets in children, urinary tract infections, and to lower fever.
  • Food: The fleshy roots are considered edible in some regions, although their consumption is rare and should always be done with adequate knowledge.
  • Ornamental: Due to the beauty of its flowers and its hardiness, it is cultivated in gardens and as a ground cover.

Commelina erecta medicinal properties

Ecological and Wildlife Importance

Commelina erecta plays a relevant role in the ecosystems where it is found:

  • Feed pollinators: Its flowers, rich in pollen and nectar, are visited by native bees, butterflies, flies and beetles, contributing to the maintenance of the local microfauna.
  • Indirect attraction of birds: Visiting insects attract insectivorous birds, enriching the biodiversity of the environment.
  • Coverage function: It acts as a ground cover, protecting the soil against erosion and helping to maintain moisture, especially in disturbed ecosystems or as a ruderal in agroecosystems.

Agronomic Significance and Potential as a Weed

Although it was not traditionally considered a worrying weed, Commelina erecta has gained notoriety in intensive agricultural systems, especially in extensive crops such as soybeans, corn and rice., due to its notable tolerance to glyphosate and certain herbicides applied in conservation tillage and direct seeding.

  • Problems in crops: Able to persist and rapidly colonize agricultural fields, especially in areas with selective herbicide pressure. Plants originating from rhizomes exhibit greater hardiness, fertility, and herbicide tolerance.
  • Herbicide resistance: It is tolerant to glyphosate (not strictly resistant, but never fully susceptible). It responds to high doses of this herbicide and shows increased sensitivity to 2,4-D and other hormonal active ingredients, although chemical control requires mixtures and integrated methods.
  • Management strategies: It is recommended to integrate mechanical controls (manual uprooting, rhizome destruction), alternating active ingredients, early application and the use of efficient mixtures, complemented with cultural practices (crop rotation, furrow reduction, improved planting quality, soil cover).

Control and Management Methods in Agriculture

Control of Commelina erecta requires a combination of chemical, mechanical and cultural strategies.

  • Chemical control: Early application of systemic herbicides. Glyphosate is only effective at high doses; combining it with 2,4-D or other hormones (dicamba, picloram) and PPOs (carfentrazone, flumioxazin, fomesafen) improves results.
  • mechanical control: Manual or mechanical extraction of plants and rhizomes in young stages or in recent infestations.
  • Cultural control: Crop rotation, planting with closer row spacing, use of competitive cultivars, and improved irrigation/nutrition management to promote crop development and minimize the weed's ecological niche.
  • Monitoring: The key lies in early detection and continuous monitoring, adjusting methods according to the distribution and size of the plants.

The rational use of herbicides and the integration of cultural and mechanical practices are essential to prevent the proliferation and development of resistant or tolerant populations.

Cultivation, Propagation and Ornamental Value

  • Multiplication: It reproduces easily by seeds and by rhizomes or cuttings.
  • Cultivation: Adaptable to sunny or semi-shaded sites, although it prefers moist, fertile soils. It is frequently grown in pots or in garden borders for its ornamental value.
  • Rusticity: It tolerates drought, but thrives best with a good water supply and fertile soils. It can naturalize quickly in favorable environments.

Resources and Links of Interest

  • Taxonomic database:
  • Identification and Photographs:
    • The Digital Flora of Texas, A&M University, Texas
    • Photographs at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Texas
    • Neotropical Herbarium Specimens, Field Museum, Chicago
    • University of Tennessee Herbarium
    • Discoverlife
    • Southwest Environmental Information Network, Arizona State University
  • Articles of interest and bibliography:
    • Barboza, GE, JJ Cantero, C. Núñez, A. Pacciaroni & L. Ariza Espinar. Medicinal Plants: A general review and a phytochemical and ethnopharmacological screening of the native Argentine FloraKurtziana
    • Martinez Crovetto, R. – Ethnobotanical studies
    • Ministry of Environment of the Province of Buenos Aires – Catalogue of Native Plants of Buenos Aires
    • Sabatino, M. et al. – Flowers of the Tandilia Mountains
  • Official distribution and conservation links:

For those interested in research, identification or uses of commelina erectaThese links provide access to up-to-date information and global databases, enabling monitoring of the species from both scientific and practical perspectives.

The flower of Saint Lucia (commelina erecta) is an example of a multifaceted plant: appreciated both for its ornamental value and for its medicinal and ecological applications, but also for its potential as a difficult-to-manage weed in modern agricultural systems. Its resistance to adverse conditions, genetic variability, and ease of propagation make this species a valuable resource for research, traditional medicine, gardening, and integrated weed control in sustainable agriculture.