#Slender Dayflower

[faguscarolinensis]

Commelina erecta / Slender Dayflower at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC

[reginrokkr]

Every ounce of gentleness is poured in caressing with the back of a slender finger a dayflower mini seelie, earning small squeaks in a clear show of gratitude and yearning for more in equal measure. Or perhaps not so equal... for when Dáinsleif stops to direct sapphire gaze at a luminous seelie that just joined the group of seelies surrounding him, the dayflower seelie squishes its little head against his cheek at the closest notice that it is not receiving the attention it demands anymore.

[new-england-foraging]

Asiatic Dayflower (Commelina communis)

Description: A low-growing plant with slender, smooth or slightly hairy stems and elongated, smooth, pointed leaves. Small, blue, three-petaled flowers-- one petal smaller than the other two.

ID: Resembles Virginia Dayflower (Commelina virginica) and Spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana). However, Virginia Dayflower has a purpler color and Spiderwort has wider, hairier leaves.

Use: Flowers, young leaves, and young stems can be eaten raw or cooked.

Properties: High in vitamins A and C and minerals calcium and potassium. Contains flavonoids and has anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, and anti-bacterial properties. High oxalate content. Some say it should only be eaten cooked.

[txwitchery]

Slender Dayflower / Flor de Santa Lucía

Commelina erecta

This small, delicate flower is widespread throughout the world and blooms in the morning, withering away as the day goes on. An unusual but notable trait of this flower is that its stamens, normally blue as in the above photo, turn pink when the plant is exposed to radiation and chemical pollution, making them a good indicator plant. Its leaves are edible but rather tough and mucilaginous. Its flowerbuds make an interesting addition to salads, while the leaves may be added to curries or stews that are to cook for a while, giving them time to become tender and spinach-like. The whole plant is better off cooked due to its oxalate content, which can cause stomach upset.

The Seminole used the mucilaginous sap to soothe skin irritations. A decoction has been used as a wash for fungal skin infections, balding, and warts; and the plant has been applied in poultice (sometimes with rum) to soothe the itching of spider bites. The Ketchwa people in Ecuador ingest the sap as an oral contraceptive, but as this has never been tested, I do NOT recommend this use. 

Magically, this plant has been used to attract abundance, promote relaxation and beauty, and dispel negativity and anxiety. The dried flowers may be added to charm bags or spell jars for any of these purposes. I associate the plant with the element Water, the goddess Voluptas, the astrological sign Pisces, and the Moon.

[thegrandimago]

This is the 161st installment of 'Since I've Been Gone'. Taken on the same day as the previous post during my time with @americanconservationexperience, I am not much of a morning person, but this flower is all about the morning. This is a whitemouth dayflower, aka slender dayflower or widow's tears (Commelina erecta), a species of dayflower native throughout the Americas, Africa, into western Asia. As the name implies, it, like others of its genus, bloom during the morning and closes up during the rest the day. So for all you morning folks, this is something to look out for. #plant #plants #flower #flowers #wildflower #wildflowers #texasplants #texasplant #txplants #txnature #texasflowers #texasflower #texaswildflower #texaswildflowers #texasnativeplants #texasnature #nature #dayflower #dayflowers #spiderwort #spiderworts #plantae #angiosperms #liliopsida #monocot #commelinales #commelinaceae #commelina #commelinaerecta #whitemouthdayflower (at Port Aransas, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CXhUa-dK-HQ/?utm_medium=tumblr