Commelina africana explained

Commelina africana, the common yellow commelina, is a widespread species of flowering plant in the family Commelinaceae.^[1] It is native to SubSaharan Africa, Madagascar, Réunion, and the Arabian Peninsula, and has been introduced to India.^[2] It is occasionally consumed as a leaf vegetable, and occasionally fed to rabbits and pigs.^{[3] [4]}

Subtaxa

The following subtaxa are accepted:^[2]

• Commelina africana subsp. africana
• Commelina africana var. glabriuscula (Norl.) Brenan – Southern Africa, Rift Valley
• Commelina africana var. karooica (C.B.Clarke) Govaerts – Namibia, Botswana, South Africa
• Commelina africana var. krebsiana (Kunth) C.B.Clarke – Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Comoros
• Commelina africana var. lancispatha C.B.Clarke – Sierra Leone, eastern, central and southern Africa
• Commelina africana var. milleri Brenan – Namibia, Botswana, Northern Provinces, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
• Commelina africana var. villosior (C.B.Clarke) Brenan – Most of range
• Commelina africana subsp. zanzibarica Faden – Kenya, Tanzania, and introduced to India

Notes and References

1. Web site: Common Yellow Commelina . Foden . W. . Potter . L. . 2005 . National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version 2020.1. . South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) . 11 August 2021 . Common Names; ... Yellow Wandering Jew (e).
2. Web site: Commelina africana L. . . Plants of the World Online . Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . 11 August 2021 .
3. The prevalence and nutritional value of some Kenyan indigenous leafy vegetables from three locations of Machakos district . 1991 . Mwajumwa . L.B.S. . Kahangi . E. Murugi . Imungi . Jasper K. . Ecology of Food and Nutrition . 26 . 4 . 275–280 . 10.1080/03670244.1991.9991211 .
4. Book: Grubben . G. J. H. . Vegetables . 2004 . Backhuys . 211–212 . 9789057821486 .