Image of Asiatic dayflower

Description:

Slo.: navadna komelina - syn.: Commelina debilis Ledeb - Habitat: roadside, sandy, almost flat ruderal terrain, in half shade, exposed to direct rain, average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 8-10 deg C, elevation 450 m (1.500 feet), alpine phytogeographical region. - Substratum: sandy soil. - Comment: This beautiful and exotic looking introduced annual creeper originates in Asia. It is presently slowly occupying Bovec basin. I saw it the first time a few years ago. Today one can find it on several ruderal places in and around Bovec town. It is easily recognizable by its beautiful, bilaterally symmetrical, deep blue flowers, which cannot be overlooked. So I am pretty sure the current spreading I see is real. It seems to be a relatively recent 'supplement' to local flora. Fortunately, for the time being, it doesn't seem particularly invasive. - It is introduced also to North America, where it is considered a common and sometimes troublesome weed in several cultures including soybean, cotton, rice, peanuts and others. Allegedly each flower blooms during the morning for a single day, hence the common name. Of cause, this should not be taken too literally. - Ref.: (1) A.Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije, Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007) (in Slovene), p 711.