网籽草 wang zi cao

Commelina conspicua Blume, Enum. Pl. Javae 1: 4. 1827; Aneilema conspicuum (Blume) Kunth.

Roots very slender. Rhizomes horizontal, with brown-yellow sheaths at nodes; branches penetrating base of leaf sheaths. Stems ascending or erect, 10--35(--70) cm; proximal internodes to 14 cm, glabrous. Leaves mostly aggregated at apex of stems; leaf sheath brown or brown-yellow, to 2.5 cm, glabrous or ciliate; proximal leaf blades very small, distal ones larger, elliptic, 7--17 × 2--5 cm, glabrous on both surfaces, base attenuate into short petiole, apex shortly acuminate to caudate-acuminate. Panicle terminal, shorter than apical leaves, usually of several lax cincinni each to 5 cm; peduncle nearly absent or to 2 cm; panicle axis densely hooked puberulent; involucral bracts brown, less than 10 mm; bracts small, caducous; pedicels 3--5 mm, usually slightly curved, glabrous. Sepals boat-shaped, 2.5--3 mm, glabrous, persistent. Petals white. Fertile stamens 3; filaments glabrous. Capsule ovoid-globose, subtrigonous, 5--6 × ca. 4 mm, apex acute; pericarp yellow, shiny, crustaceous. Seeds brownish gray, oblong, planoconvex, radiate verrucose, crossed by a striate sculpture at equator. Fl. May--Jul, fr. until next May.

Ravine forests or shaded and humid places; near sea level to 1200 m. Hainan, ?SW Yunnan (Jinghong Xian) [India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam].

The single collection from Yunnan, C. W. Wang 79431, has taller stems and larger leaves, but is sterile. It might be Dictyospermum ovalifolium Wight (from S and SE Asia and Australia), which differs in having only 2 fertile stamens.