©2004 Ruth B. McDowell

Although this plant is a weed to most gardeners, I always keep a few seedlings for the sake of their unusual flowers and bright blue color. Indeed once you have a dayflower, it takes a very dedicated gardener indeed to get rid of it. The flowers grow out of interesting folded green sepal. My daughter Emily as a toddler called it Mouse Flower because of its cartoon-like shape.

The Latin name, Commelina communis, was chosen by Lineaus, the two bright blue petals represent the two Dutch botanists surnamed Commelin, the inconspicuous third petal a third Communis who "died before accomplishing anything in botany."

Native to China and Japan where it has been a source of a blue dye.