Commelina rufipes Seub. var. rufipes
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Authority
Mori, S. A., et al. 1997. Guide to the vascular plants of central French Guiana: Part 1. Pteridophytes, gymnosperms, and monocotyledons. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 76: 1-422.
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Family
Commelinaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Herbs, prostrate at base, rooting at nodes. Leaves with sheaths, petioles, and midrib densely rufous-hirsute abaxially; blade 5.5-10 X 1.5-3 cm, with villous hairs 1-3 mm long. Inflorescences 1-4 together at end of stem, ca. 2 cm long, each included in a spathaceous, acuminate, submembranous, greenish-white bract, each consisting of a fertile, 3-5-flowered cincinnus on a peduncle 1 cm long and a sterile one with reduced flowers on a peduncle, ca. 2.5 cm long. Flowers: sepals 4 mm long, obtuse, 3-veined; dorsal petals ca. 7 mm long, white, suborbicular, with a long claw ca. 3 mm long, the ventral petal linear, 4 mm long; sterile anthers very small. Capsules ellipsoid, 6-7 X 5 mm, with thin, fragile, silverywhite pericarp, 3-locular, the ventral cells with 2 seeds, the dorsal cell 1-seeded. Seeds conglutinating with dissepiments of fruit, nigrescent, those of abaxial cells depressed pyramidal, 2-2.5 mm long, the seed of adaxial cell lenticular or ellipsoid-lenticular, 3-4 mm long, not reticulate.
Distribution and Ecology - Fl (Jan); on rocks and in submontane forest.