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Key to families | Table of families and genera

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COMMELINACEAE SPIDERWORT FAMILY

Robert E. Preston & Elizabeth McClintock

Annual, perennial herb, generally glabrous.
Stem: prostrate to erect or climbing; nodes often rooting.
Leaf: alternate, entire, simple, linear to ovate, closed basal sheath or lower leaf clasping stem.
Inflorescence: cyme, umbel-like or not, terminal or terminal and axillary, subtended by 1–2 bracts [not].
Flower: generally bisexual, bilateral or radial, generally insect-pollinated; sepals 3, generally green; petals 3, blue, white, rose, purple, or pale violet, generally ephemeral; stamens 6 (3 sterile or not), filaments generally slender, often hairy; ovary superior, chambers 3, style 1.
Fruit: generally capsule.
Seed: 1–few per chamber.
40 genera, ± 630 species: especially tropics, subtrop; some cultivated as ornamental. [Faden 2000 FNANM 22:170–197] —Scientific Editor: Thomas J. Rosatti.

Key to Commelinaceae

TRADESCANTIA
Perennial.
Inflorescence: umbel-like, subtended by 2 leaf-like bracts.
Flower: radial; petals equal, blue, rose, purple, or white; filament hairs generally from base, each a row of unusually large cells.
± 70 species: North America, South America. (John Tradescant, British naturalist, 1570s–1638)
Unabridged references: [Faden 2000 FNANM 22:173–187]

Key to Tradescantia

Previous taxon: Commelina benghalensis
Next taxon: Tradescantia fluminensis

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Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) [year] Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html [accessed on month, day, year]
Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on [month, day, year].

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Bioregions in which taxon occurs Markers link to CCH specimen records. If the markers are obscured, reload the page [or change window size and reload]. Yellow markers indicate records that may provide evidence for eFlora range revision or may have georeferencing or identification issues.
map of distribution 1

Chart based on elevation range in Manual and elevations and coordinates of CCH records.
Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria.
Note: About half of the CCH records include both elevation and coordinates.
Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria.
View all CCH records