Commelina erecta

Native across much of the Americas, this plant is a perennial herb with soft, jointed stems that may stand upright or sprawl and root at the lower nodes. Its alternate leaves have sheathing bases and pointed, lance-shaped to oval blades. Flowers emerge successively from a folded green bract whose lower edges are joined into a pocket. Each flower has two large blue upper petals and a much smaller white lower petal, with three fertile stamens and three smaller sterile stamens. Flowers open in the morning and fade within a few hours. Small seed capsules develop inside the protective bract. The species occurs in grasslands, woodland margins, scrub and coastal uplands. Photographed in Tayrona National Park, Colombia.