Commelinaceae FAMILY
Commelina africana
Commelina africana
Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
2/5
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
HabitPerennial
Growth—
A plant of moist areas in the tropics, where it can be found at elevations up to 1,800 metres. In Tanzania it is found in areas with a mean annual rainfall of 900 - 1,900mm[1]. Prefers a sunny position[1]. Thrives in sandy clay loams and sandy loams[1]. Established plants are drought tolerant[2]. The plant comes into new growth with the onset of the rainy season more quickly than most other species and so is available for use as a vegetable earlier than commonly cultivated species[2].
Propagation
Seed - Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Commelina+africana>
Pollinators
Bees
References
- [1]Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania — Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B. · Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi. · 2002 · ISBN 9966-896-60-0 ↩︎A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
- [2]Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. — http://www.prota.org ↩︎An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.