Commelina sphaerorrhizoma Faden & Layton

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Habit
Kalahari woodland
Mubita area, Mongu District
Dec 2023
Photo: Nick Wightman

Leaf
Kalahari woodland
Mubita area, Mongu District
Dec 2023
Photo: Nick Wightman

Flower
Kalahari woodland
Mubita area, Mongu District
Dec 2023
Photo: Nick Wightman

Habit with tubers
Kalahari woodland
Mawela, Senanga District
Apr 2024
Photo: Nick Wightman

Tubers
Kalahari woodland
Mawela, Senanga District
Apr 2024
Photo: Nick Wightman

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Synonyms:
Common names:
Frequency:	Local
Status:	Native
Description:	Perennial herb growing from a chain of spherical rhizomes 1-2.4 cm in diameter. Stems erect, 20-70 cm tall, unbranched or with an occasional branch, sparsely puberulous to glabrescent. Leaves spirally arranged or partly distichous along the stem, sessile; linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, ovate, oblong or elliptic; 2.5-22 x 0.4-3.6 cm; apex acute to acuminate; base symmetric, cordate to rounded or auriculate, clasping the stem. Spathes solitary or sub-clustered, slightly falcate or not; 1.6-4.9 x 0.9-1.7 cm; glabrous except for some hook-hairs at the base. Flowers c. 2.5 cm wide; sepals glabrous, upper sepal ovate, 3-5.5 x 2.7 mm, paired sepals obovate to broadly elliptic, 3.5-5.5 x 2.3-3 mm, sometimes tinged with blue-violet. Paired petals clawed, c. 14 x 11 mm, blue, limb broadly ovate-reniform, c. 9 x 11 mm; lower petal sub-orbicular, c. 7.5 x 7.5 mm, not clawed. Capsules oblong-elliptic, 1-3 seeded, 9-10.5 x 5-6 mm. Seed oblong to oblong elliptic, c. 6-8.6 x 2.7-3.1 mm.
Type location:	Zambia
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	sphaerorrhizoma: with spherical or globose rhizomes
Habitat:	Woodland including Kalahari woodland, woodland edges, Brachystegia semi-thicket, grassland, bog edges, roadsides, sometimes on rocky escarpments, commonly in sandy soils.
Altitude range:	1030 - 1750 m
Flowering time:	Nov- Mar
Worldwide distribution:	DRC, Angola and Zambia
Zambian distribution (Flora Zambesiaca):	W,C
Zambian distribution (Provinces):	Nw,W
Growth form(s):	Perennial.
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Content last updated:	Monday 22 July 2024
Literature:	Faden, R.B., Layton, D.J. & Figueiredo, E. (2009). Three new species of Commelina (Commelinaceae) from South-Central Africa Systematics and Geography of Plants 79(1) Pages 68 - 73. Protologue (Includes a picture).

Other sources of information about Commelina sphaerorrhizoma:

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Commelina sphaerorrhizoma
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Commelina sphaerorrhizoma
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Commelina sphaerorrhizoma
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Commelina sphaerorrhizoma
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Commelina sphaerorrhizoma
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Commelina sphaerorrhizoma
JSTOR Plant Science: Commelina sphaerorrhizoma
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Commelina sphaerorrhizoma
Plants of the World Online: Commelina sphaerorrhizoma
Tropicos: Commelina sphaerorrhizoma
Wikipedia: Commelina sphaerorrhizoma