Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden, South Africa

Common name: blouselblommetjie, Benghal dayflower, tropical spiderwort, uhlotshane, lala-tau, idambiso

Family: Commelinaceae (Spiderwort)

Distribution: West Africa, East Africa, Central Asia, Southern Asia, South East Asia, Japan, Phillipines, Australia

Habitat: Humid forests and grasslands, agricultural fields

IUCN Red list: Least concern

National red list: Least Concern

Black list: Exotic species but NOT listed as NEMBA invasive (Not indigenous to South Africa)

Life form: Annual plant

Usage: Horticultural, Medicinal, edible

Comments: Benghal dayflower is so named because its delicate, ink blue flowers persist for only a few hours before dropping off. Originally from India and Bangladesh, it has become a prolific and problematic weed globally, especially in tropical and subtropical regions where it is warm and rainy. It produces seeds both above ground, and from subterranean, self-pollinating flowers, and can grow from regenerative stems and runners. This means it can spread effectively and in many different ways, and to eradicate it entails both deep cultivation in the soil and herbicide application. Tea, coffee, rice, maize, peanuts, pineapples, sorghum, wheat, cotton - and many more - may all fall prey to being smothered by this creeping annual.
Despite this, people have found many uses for the plant. In South Africa, people from multiple cultures use it medicinally to address high blood pressure, infertility, burns, sore throats, sore eyes, rashes, and malaria. It is additionally eaten as a vegetable, and used as animal fodder.