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Commelinaceae is a family of plants that flower, and it is sometimes referred to as the Dayflower Family or the Spiderwort Family. It includes about 40 genera and about 650 species. Most species are perennial but there are some annual plants.

The majority are terrestrial. Tradescantia has about 70 species and is one of the larger genera in the family. Commelinaceae is from the Commelinales order which also includes families such as Haemodoraceae has about 116 species and includes Anigozanthos or the Kangaroo Paw. Ponterderiaceae includes mostly aquatic species such as the Eichhornia carssipes, and Water Hyacinth.

The plants in the Commelinaceae family are mostly herbaceous and mostly ornamental plants. The flowers are short-lived usually lasting one day at a time. They usually lack nectar and only provide pollen, being hermaphroditic they possess both male and female organs. The flowers appear at certain seasons and specific times of the day. Also, some species have male and female flowers that open at different times. The flowers usually grow terminally or from axils.

The plants in this family usually spread by root at nodes or stolons, or rhizomes. The foliage is usually like sheaths that surround the stems. They usually alternate, they are not lobed or teethed. One strong characteristic is how the leaves unfurl from the bud.

Genera in the Commelinaceae include:

Aclisia
Aetheolirion
Amischotolype
Aneilema
Anthericopsis
Belosynapsis
Buforrestia
Callisia
Cartonema
Cochliostema
Coleotrype
Commelina
Cyanotis
Dichorisandra
Dichospermum
Dictyospermum
Elasis
Floscopa
Forrestia
Geogenanthus
Gibasis
Gibasoides
Larnalles
Matudanthus
Murdannia
Palisota
Phaeneilema
Plowmanianthus
Pollia
Polyspatha
Porandra
Pseudoparis
Rhoeo
Rhopalephora
Sauvallea
Siderasis
Spatholirion
Stanfieldiella
Streptolirion
Tapheocarpa
Thyrsanthemum
Tinantia
Tradescantia
Tricarpelema
Triceratella
Tripogandra
Weldenia

Tradescantia pallida, Commelinaceae
Tradescantia pallida in Los Angeles, California

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