Galapagos Species Database

The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.

Commelina diffusa Burm. f.

chiriyuyo, yuquilla, tripa de pollo, siempreviva, dayflower, creeping dayflower, spreading dayflower

Commelina diffusa Burm. f. Photo: Patricia Jaramillo, Rachel Atkinson, Anne Guézou, CDF, 2008.
Commelina diffusa Burm. f. Photo: Patricia Jaramillo, Rachel Atkinson, Anne Guézou, CDF, 2008.

A low growing creeper with shiny dark green leaves. The species prefers shade.

Roots well from cuttings. Easily confused with the introduced Tradescantia fluminensis which has thicker, more yellow leaves and larger flowers.

Taxonomy

Domain
Eukaryota

Kingdom
Plantae

Phylum
Magnoliophyta

Class
Liliopsida (= Monocotyledoneae)

Order
Commelinales

Family
Commelinaceae

Genus
Commelina

Species
diffusa

Taxon category: Accepted

Syn.: Commelina agraria Kunth fide Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew & Missouri Botanical Garden (2010). In Andersson (1855) as Commelyna agraria.

Taxon origin: Native

Distribution

Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.

Distribution: Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal, Floreana e Isabela

References

  • Wiggins, I.L. Porter, D.M. (1971) Flora of the Galapagos Islands Standford University Press, Stanford.
  • Nowak, J.B. (1987) Final report on studies in burnt area, Sierra Negra, Isabela Island, Galapagos Islands Ecuador. Charles Darwin Research Station, unpublished.
  • Jaramillo, P. (1998) Distribución Espacial de la Vegetación Vascular y Dispersión de Especies Introducidas dentro del Parque Nacional Galápagos. Tesis de Doctorado en Biología, Universidad Central del Ecuador. Especialización ECOLOGIA DE POBLACIONES.
  • McMullen, C.K. (1999) Flowering plants of the Galapagos. Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London, 370 pp.
  • Hooker, J.D. (1847) An Enumeration of the Plants of the Galapagos Archipelago; with descriptions of those which are new. Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 20: 163-233.
  • Tropicos.org. (2017) Database of Missouri Botanical Garden. Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. 06 Oct 2017 <http://www.tropicos.org
  • Hunt, D.R. (1993) Galapagos. Archipelago del Ecuador. Fl. Novo-Galiciana 13: 130–201.
  • Atkinson, R. Guézou, A. & Jaramillo, P. (2009) Siémbrame en tu jardín - Plantas nativas para jardines en Galápagos. Fundación Charles Darwin, Puerto Ayora, Galápagos, Ecuador, 151 pp.
  • Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Missouri Botanical Garden (eds.) (2013) The Plant List, Version 1.1. Published on the Internet; http://www.theplantlist.org/ (accessed 1st January).
  • Andersson, N.J. (1855) Om Galápagos Öarnes Vegetation. Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps Akademien Handl., Stockholm: 61-256.
  • Itow, S. (1997) List of Plant Specimens collected in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Bulletin of the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Nagasaki University, Natural Science, 38 (1): 53-144.
  • Quintana, M.C. (2010) Wild plants in the dry valleys around Quito-Ecuador. Publicaciones del Herbario QCA, PUCE. Quito-Ecuador, 266 pp.
  • Nowak, J.B. (1985) Regeneration of the Vegetation in the burned areas of Sierra Negra, Isabela Island Annual Report 1986-1987. Charles Darwin Research Station.Pg 37-40
  • Guerrero, A. Tye, A. (2009) Darwin's Finches as seed predators and dispersers. The Wilson Journal Of Ornithology 121 (4):752-764, 2009
  • Heleno, R. Blake, S., Jaramillo, P., Traveset, A., Vargas, P. & Nogales, M. (2011) Frugivory and seed dispersal in the Galápagos: what is the state of the art? Integrative Zoology 6: 110-128.
  • Blake, S. Wikelski, M., Cabrera, F., Guézou, A., Silva, M., Sadeghayobi, E., Yackulik, C. & Jaramillo, P. (2011) Gardeners of Galapagos? Seed dispersal by giant tortoises. Journal of Biogeography (submission): 1-41.
  • Jäger, H. Tye, A., Kowarik, I. (2007) Tree invasion in naturally treeless environments: Impacts of quinine (Cinchona pubescens) trees on native vegetation in Galápagos Institute of Ecology, Department of Ecosystem Sciences and Plant Ecology, Technical University Berlin, Rothenburgstr. 12, 12165 Berlin, Germany.
  • Itow, S. (1987) Comunidades Herbaceas y Ericaceas en las tierras altas de Santa Cruz Islas Galápagos. Pg. 52 - 65. Memorias: Taller sobre investigación Botánica y manejo en Galápagos.
  • Nowak, J.B. Lawesson, J., Adsersen, H., de Vries, T. (1987) Dos años de estudio de la dinámica de la vegetación posterior al incendio en el sur de Isabela, Islas Galápagos, Ecuador. Memorias. Taller sobre Investigación Botánica y Manejo en Galápagos. Pg. 139-153.
  • Fosberg, F. R. (1987) Vegetación inalterada en Fernandina, 1964 Memorias. Investigación Botánica y Manejo en Galápagos. Pg. 66-74
  • Cayot, L. J. (1987) Ecology of Giant Tortoise (Geochelone elephantopus)in the Galápagos Islands. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biology in the Graduate School of Syracuse University.
  • Quintana, C. Girardello, M., Barfod, A. & Balslev, H. (2016) Diversity patterns, environmental drivers and changes in vegetation composition in dry inter-Andean valleys. Journal of Plant Ecology: 1–15
You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging the origin of the data.
This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Commelina diffusa", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=873. Accessed 2 May 2024.