"The only difference between a flower and a weed is judgement." - Dr. Wayne Dyer
They have the capability of sprawling quickly to form a dense ground cover and are therefore considered a noxious weed in some countries.
The genus name Commelina actually originates with the story of the Commelin family.
The two big petals of the flower represent Jan Commelin- a dutch botanist who imported and studied many plants from Asia and his brother Casparus- a bookseller. In addition there is a small petal situated just below which represents Casper Commelin, son of Casparus. Casper was also a botanist who worked on books that were left uncompleted by the death of his uncle Jan.
The plant itself has a lot of uses. It is used as a traditional medicine to treat fevers, sore throats and eyes, infertility, skin ailments and burns. If you squeeze the leaf sheath at the base of the flower a drop of tasteless, slightly sticky sap comes out that can be used as eye-drops. The leaves can also be boiled and cooked as a meal.
Hoverfly on Benghal Dayflower
Wandering Jew/Tropical spiderwort
(Commelina benghalensis)
Hindi: काना
Marathi: केना
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Home, Kahun Road, Pune(India)
July 2020