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Annual or perennial herbs. Underground stolons sometimes bearing cleistogamous flowers. Flowers in one or two 1-6-flowered cymes enclosed in a spathe. Upper cyme 1-(-3)-flowered, usually male, exserted on a long peduncle, sometimes rudimentary or 0. Lower cyme included, borne on a short peduncle; flowers 2-6, all bisexual or some male, just exserted at flowering time. Flowers open in morning, soon deliquescent. Petals 3, free; upper 2 flat, variously coloured, the lower reduced, often colourless. Stamens 3, lower fertile, upper 3 staminodes, reduced. Ovary (2-)3-locular. Fruit a capsule. Derivation of name: Named after Kaspar (1667-1731) and Johann (1629-1698) Commelin, Dutch botanists. Worldwide: c. 170 species in tropical and warm regions Malawi: 21 taxa. |
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| Species | FZ divisions | Content |
| africana L. | N,C,S | Description, Image |
| aspera Benth. var. aspera | Description | |
| aspera Benth. var. opulens (C.B.Clarke) Faden | ? | |
| aurantiiflora Faden & Raynsford | ||
| benghalensis L. | N,C,S | Description, Image |
| bracteosa Hassk. | ||
| diffusa Burm. f. subsp. diffusa | N,C,S | Description, Image |
| eckloniana Kunth | Description, Image | |
| erecta L. | ||
| foliacea Chiov. subsp. amplexicaulis Faden | ||
| foliacea Chiov. subsp. foliacea | ||
| forskaolii Vahl | Description, Image | |
| grossa C.B. Clarke | ||
| kituloensis Faden | N | |
| neurophylla C.B. Clarke | N(other?) | Description, Image |
| nigritana Benth. var. nigritana | ||
| nyasensis C.B. Clarke | ||
| petersii Hassk. | ||
| schweinfurthii C.B.Clarke subsp. ceciliae (C.B. Clarke) Faden | N,C,S | Description, Image |
| subulata Roth | N,C,S | Description, Image |
| zambesica C.B.Clarke |
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