Erect Blue. Slender Dayflower, Commelina erecta, Arroyo del Potrero, Chihuahua, Uruguay
Wow! Yes, indeed! My, but! It was cold here in Chihuahua today and there was a driving icy rain from the South Atlantic strongly blowing in across the brown-earthed waters of the Rio de la Plata. An unseasonably 10 C, as my commiserating hosts feelingly pointed out. I'd just as soon not have know. It felt even colder, but I did have a dip in the Arroyo and found the water at about 19 C quite warm. In fact it was rather warmer in the water than out!
Anyway, on the banks of the river there's everywhere a nice profusion of these Slender Dayflowers. Of course, Commelina erecta is found throughout temperate and non-temperate zones the globe-around. I always much enjoy its so heavenly Blue. On occasion I've posted photos of various Commelinas, but not of one just popping into flower. Presumably it'd have come out entirely if the air and a single ray of sunlight had been warmer. I'd crawled up out of the warm water into the chill of the wind and my hands trembled as my faithful Sony took an acceptable picture of our Zygomorph.
Commelinas were named by great Carolus Linnaeus for uncle and nephew Jan (1629-1692) and Caspar (1667-1734) Commelijn of Amsterdam. The elder was one of the founders of the fine Hortus there, the younger succeeded him. Both were highly influential editors of botanical works (e.g. Rheede van Drakenstein's immense flora of the Malabar Coast to which I refer frequently in these my photos). Linnaeus was grateful to the Commelijns for he used almost 300 of their description in his own famous classification.
The chill has me typing this under bedcovers, so I can't be as precise as I'd like to be...
Erect Blue. Slender Dayflower, Commelina erecta, Arroyo del Potrero, Chihuahua, Uruguay
Wow! Yes, indeed! My, but! It was cold here in Chihuahua today and there was a driving icy rain from the South Atlantic strongly blowing in across the brown-earthed waters of the Rio de la Plata. An unseasonably 10 C, as my commiserating hosts feelingly pointed out. I'd just as soon not have know. It felt even colder, but I did have a dip in the Arroyo and found the water at about 19 C quite warm. In fact it was rather warmer in the water than out!
Anyway, on the banks of the river there's everywhere a nice profusion of these Slender Dayflowers. Of course, Commelina erecta is found throughout temperate and non-temperate zones the globe-around. I always much enjoy its so heavenly Blue. On occasion I've posted photos of various Commelinas, but not of one just popping into flower. Presumably it'd have come out entirely if the air and a single ray of sunlight had been warmer. I'd crawled up out of the warm water into the chill of the wind and my hands trembled as my faithful Sony took an acceptable picture of our Zygomorph.
Commelinas were named by great Carolus Linnaeus for uncle and nephew Jan (1629-1692) and Caspar (1667-1734) Commelijn of Amsterdam. The elder was one of the founders of the fine Hortus there, the younger succeeded him. Both were highly influential editors of botanical works (e.g. Rheede van Drakenstein's immense flora of the Malabar Coast to which I refer frequently in these my photos). Linnaeus was grateful to the Commelijns for he used almost 300 of their description in his own famous classification.
The chill has me typing this under bedcovers, so I can't be as precise as I'd like to be...