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NAME: Asiatic Dayflower

SPECIES / FAMILY:  Commelina Communis / Commelinaceae

OTHER COMMON NAME(S): 

CONDITIONS: shade, medium moist soil
 

PARTS:

EDIBLE cid:image001.jpg@01D3EC3E.A305A520

TASTE

RAW/COOK

SEASON

All

 

 

 

 

Shoots

mild

RAW/COOK

summer

Leaves

mild

RAW/COOK

summer

Stalk/Stem

 

 

 

 

Buds

       

Flowers

mild

RAW/COOK

summer

Fruits

 

 

 

 

Pods

 

 

   

Seeds

 

 

 

 

Nuts

 

 

 

 

Roots

 

 

 

 

Bark

 

 

 

 

 

PORTION: small

 

COMMENT:  Great summer wild edible! Full of Vitamin C and A.  Shoots, leaves, and flowers can be eaten raw or cooked. Makes a great addition to a salad, plus a light green drink - put in blender with water, sieve out the fiber, and enjoy. // Chopped finely and added to salads or cooked as a potherb…mucilaginous texture. (1) Easy to propagate by taking cuttings and placing in water to root.

 

CAUTION: Various, as with any food, eat in moderation and read the info in the links below.

 

NUTRITION/MEDICINAL:  Antibacterial;  Astringent;  Depurative;  Diuretic;  Febrifuge. The leaves are depurative, diuretic and febrifuge. Used as a throat gargle to relieve sore throats and tonsillitis.  A decoction of the dried plant is used to treat bleeding, diarrhoea, fever etc. Extracts of the plant show antibacterial activity.(1)

 

RELATED:  

 

POISONOUS LOOK-A-LIKES: 

 

OTHER USES: Dye. A bright blue dye is obtained from the petals.(1) The normally blue stamen hairs indicated mutation by turning pink when exposed to radiation. The same effect has since been observed when the spiderwort plant is subjected to chemical pollution.

 

SOURCE LINKS (may include nutritional and medicinal info, plus other uses):

  1. https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Commelina+communis
  2. http://www.eattheweeds.com/commelina-diffusa-what-a-day-for-a-day-flower-2
  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commelina_communis
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commelina (many species)
  5. http://www.foragingtexas.com/2012/08/dayflower.html (good photos)
  6. https://eattheplanet.org/day-flower-a-dainty-and-overlooked-wild-edible
  7. https://lostintheozarks.com/asiatic-dayflower
  8. https://topbackyards.com/how-to-grow-asiatic-dayflowers
  9. http://dinafisher.net/foraging/asiatic-dayflower
  10. https://www.wildedibleplantofthemonth.com/common-dayflower