Benghal dayflower	USDA PLANTS Symbol: COBE2 U.S. Nativity: Exotic Habit: Forbs/Herbs
Commelina benghalensis L.

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Taxonomic Rank: Liliopsida: Commelinales: Commelinaceae
Synonym(s): tropical spiderwort, jio
Native Range: tropical Asia (BAIL);
Benghal dayflower, or tropical spiderwort, is an annual or perennial, creeping herb that is on the Federal Noxious Weed List. Leaves are alternate, lily-like, 1.2-2.8 in. (3-7 cm) long and often have reddish hairs towards the tip. Aboveground flowers are very small with relatively large lilac to blue petals and are present from the spring into the fall. Underground flowers, which grow on burrowing rhizomes, are white and very small. Benghal dayflower invades areas with moist soil including roadsides, grasslands and other disturbed areas. It is especially problematic in pastures and crop fields where it forms dense, pure stands that can smother other plants such as low-growing crops. Benghal dayflower is native to Asia and Africa and was first found in the United States in 1963.

Identification, Biology, Control and Management Resources

Domestic Programs Pest Evaluation - USDA APHIS PPQ
Federal Noxious Weed Inspection Guide - USDA APHIS PPQ
Managing Tropical Spiderwort in Roundup Ready Cotton - University of Georgia
Tropical Spiderwort Identification and Control in Georgia Field Crops - University of Georgia
Tropical Spiderwort Identification and Control - University of Florida
Pest Fact Sheet - North American Plant Protection Organization
Commelina sp. Identification Key - Flora of North America
Federal Noxious Weed Disseminules of the U.S. - USDA-APHIS
Benghal Dayflower a.k.a. Tropical Spiderwort: A New Weed in North Carolina - NCDA & CS

Selected Images from Invasive.org

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Feature(s); The underground flowers appear as swollen nodes. Thomas County, GA Byron Rhodes, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Flower(s); Thomas County, GA Byron Rhodes, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Infestation; Byron Rhodes, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Feature(s); The underground flowers appear as swollen nodes. Thomas County, GA Byron Rhodes, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Flower(s); Aerial flower Herb Pilcher, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Flower(s); Double flower in profile Theodore Webster, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Feature(s); Red hairs on leaf sheath Herb Pilcher, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Seedling(s); Theodore Webster, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Infestation; Infestation in harvested cotton field. Cairo, Georgia. 2001 Stanley Culpepper, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Foliage; Close-up of foliage Stanley Culpepper, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Infestation; Large infestation in cotton field Stanley Culpepper, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Infestation; Infestation in cotton field. Grady county, Georgia. 2002 Stanley Culpepper, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Infestation; Large infestation Stanley Culpepper, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Seedling(s); Stanley Culpepper, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Infestation; in peanut 6 weeks into the season Theodore Webster, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Infestation; Bengal dayflower with peanut in lower right corner Theodore Webster, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Infestation; close up of Bengal dayflower in cotton Theodore Webster, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Seed(s); seed recovered from gut contents of dove Theodore Webster, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Infestation; Peanuts infested with Bengal dayflower (2 wks after planting) Theodore Webster, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage

EDDMapS Distribution:
This map is incomplete and is based only on current site and county level reports made by experts and records obtained from USDA Plants Database. For more information, visit www.eddmaps.org