葶花水竹叶 ting hua shui zhu ye

Commelina edulis Stokes, Bot. Mat. Med. 1: 184. 1812; Aneilema formosanum N. E. Brown; A. scapiflorum (Roxburgh) Wight; A. scapiflorum var. latifolium N. E. Brown; C. scapiflora Roxburgh; Murdannia formosanum (N. E. Brown) K. S. Hsu; M. scapiflora (Roxburgh) Royle.

Herbs perennial. Roots fibrous, robust, to more than 10 cm × (1--)2--4 mm, partly or totally fusiform thickened near end into tubers to 8 mm in diam., densely lanate. Rhizomes absent. Stems several from rosette, scapiform, subequaling leaves, ca. 2 mm in diam., subglabrous to densely hispidulous. Leaves all basal, rosulate; leaf blade linear, 10--42 × 2--4.5 cm, glabrous or sparsely puberulent on both surfaces, margin hirsutulous-ciliate and often undulate, apex often acuminate or arcuate. Cincinni solitary in each involucral bract or sometimes several in leaf axils, proximal cincinni to 3 cm, distal ones gradually becoming smaller, apical ones ca. 2 mm; involucral bracts sheathlike, rarely with blade, basal 1--3 often infertile; bracts red, cupular, minute; pedicels 5--8 mm in fruit, with sheathlike, membranous involucral bracts, forming reduced inflorescence shoots. Sepals lanceolate, ca. 4 mm, persistent. Petals pink or purple, obovate-orbicular. Fertile stamens 3; filaments pubescent; staminodes 3; antherodes 3-sect. Capsule ellipsoid, trigonous, ca. 7 mm. Seeds ca. 7 per valve, slightly flattened, reticulate. Fl. Jun--Aug.

Forests; near sea level to 1000 m. E Guangdong (Lufeng Xian), SE Guangxi (Bobai Xian), Hainan, Taiwan [India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam].