Common name: कानपेट Kanpet (Marathi), Day flower
Botanical name: Commelina forsskalaei Family: Commelinaceae (dayflower family)
Like all dayflowers, Kanpet is a prostrate herb, 20-30 cm high, occasionally
found in the grasslands of Western Ghats. Long slender stems are branched and
rooted at nodes, which make the plant prostrate. Narrowly oblong leaves are
3-5 cm in length, and have a wavy margin. Tiny butterfly like blue flowers are
1 cm across, and occur in cymes of 1-3 at the end of branches. Flowers are
enclosed in ovate, hairy, hooded spathes 1-1.5 cm long. The flowers have 3
petals - the larger two are like butterfly wings. There are 3 distinct
stamens.
| Photographed in
Lonavala, Maharashtra. |
Identification credit: Pravin Kawale
|
ative