Family – Commelinaceae
Stems: N/A
Flowers
Flowering – September – November.
Habitat – Marshes, lake margins, streambanks, ditches, bogs.
Origin – Native to tropical Asia.
Other information – This attractive yet weedy species can be found scattered mainly throughout east Alabama. The plant is easy to ID becasue of its habitat, fleshy stems, and pinkish-purple flowers. The flowers have three spreading petals and NO spathe subtending them.
The genus name Murdannia is given in honor of Murdan Aly who was a plant collector and keeper of the Botanical Garden of Saharanpur, India.
The species epithet keisak is a native Japanese name for the plant.
A common synonym is Aneilema keisak Hassk.
Alabama Distribution
Photographs taken in Brown Summit, NC., 9-8-02.
See more plants of Alabama here.
