Asiatic Dayflower is an herbaceous annual plant in the spiderwort family. Asiatic dayflower is derived from the fact that the blooms of this species of plant only last for one day. Asiatic Dayflower is native throughout much of East Asia and northern parts of Southeast Asia. In China, the plant is known as 'yazhicao' which roughly translates to "duckfoot herb", while in Japan it is known as 'tsuyukusa' meaning "dew herb". Asiatic Dayflower has also been introduced to parts of central and southeastern Europe and much of eastern North America, where it has spread to become a noxious weed. The genus name commemorates Dutch botanists Johan (1629-1692) and Caspar (1667-1731) Commelin. The species name 'communis' means common.

Historically Asiatic dayflower has been used in traditional Chinese medicine. The flowers have also been used in Japan to produce a dye and a pigment that was used in many world-renowned Ukiyo-e woodcuts from the 18th and early 19th centuries. Asiatic dayflower has been used in pollination studies concerning the behaviour of plants in relation to their pollinators.

Within the realm of rational and holistic medicine, Asiatic dayflower has been used as a throat gargle to relieve sore throats and tonsillitis. The leaves are depurative, diuretic and febrifuge. A decoction of the dried plant is used to treat bleeding, diarrhoea, and fever. Extracts of the plant show antibacterial activity.

Please note that MIROFOSS does not suggest in any way that plants should be used in place of proper medical and psychological care. This information is provided here as a reference only.

The leaves, flowers, and young shoots of Asiatic dayflower can be eaten raw or cooked. Plant leaves can be chopped finely and added to salads or cooked as a potherb. Asiatic dayflower has a sweet taste with a mucilaginous texture.

Please note that MIROFOSS can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the consumption of plant species which are found in the wild. This information is provided here as a reference only.

 

Asiatic dayflower grows in partially shaded or sunny areas, in cultivated beds or disturbed ground. Asiatic dayflower is suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It prefers moist or dry soil.

Soil Conditions
Soil Moisture
Sunlight
Notes:

 

Asiatic dayflower is a creeping perennial plant that grows 20cm to 75cm in length. The stems of Asiatic dayflower will develop roots when in contact with soil. The roots are fibrous and susceptible to frost. The flowers are bilateral, and blue in colour, approximately 15mm wide with three sepals and and one white petal. each flower has six stamens. The leaves of Asiatic dayflower are 8cm to 13cm long and lanceolate with rounded bases. Asiatic dayflower blooms from June to October in the Northern Hemisphere and each flower only lasts for one day. Seeds range in length from 2.5mm to 4.2mm but seeds as short as 2 mm can occur, while they are 2.2mm to 3mm in width. The surfaces are rugose pitted-reticulate and are densely covered with smaller farinose granules with sparse larger farinose granules.

Plant Height	20cm to 75cm
Habitat	Cultivated areas, Disturbed Soil
Leaves	Lanceolate
Leaf Margin	Entire
Leaf Venation	Parallel
Stems	Smooth stems
Flowering Season	June to October
Flower Type	Bilaterally Symmetrical
Flower Colour	Blue
Pollination	Bees
Flower Gender	Flowers are hermaphrodite and the plants are self-fertile
Fruit	Small seeds in a swollen capsule
USDA Zone	7A (-15°C to -17°C) cold weather limit

No known health risks have been associated with Asiatic dayflower. However ingestion of naturally occurring plants without proper identification is not recommended.

-Click here- or on the thumbnail image to see an artist rendering, from The United States Department of Agriculture, of Asiatic dayflower (This image will open in a new browser tab)

-Click here- or on the thumbnail image to see a magnified view, from The United States Department of Agriculture, of the seeds created by the Asiatic dayflower for propagation. (This image will open in a new browser tab)

Asiatic Dayflower can be referenced in certain current and historical texts under one other name: Mouse Flower Asiatic Dayflower can be translated into the following select languages:
Arabic		Bulgarian	азиатски дневен цвят	Chinese (Sim)	鸭跖草
Croatian	azijsko suncokretovo	Czech	asijské denní květiny	Danish	asiatisk dagblomst
Dutch	Aziatische dagbloem	Esperanto	azia tago	Estonian
Finnish	asiallinen päivänkukka	French	tournesol asiatique	German	asiatische Tagesblume
Greek	ασιατικό ηλιοτρόπιο	Hebrew	אסיאתית	Hungarian	ázsiai napraforgó
Italian		Japanese	露草	Korean	아시아계 데이 플라워
Punjabi	ਏਸ਼ੀਆਈ ਦਿਨਮੁਖੀ	Lithuanian	asiatiška dienos gėlė	Norwegian	asiatisk dagblomstring
Persian	آبیاری روزمره	Polish		Portuguese
Romanian	flori de zi asiatice	Russian	азиатский подсолнух	Slovak	asijský denný kvet
Spanish	florecilla asiática	Swedish	asiatisk dagblomma	Tagalog
Turkish		Ukrainian	азіатський денне квітка	Vietnamese	hoa ban ngày

The information provided in this conservation assessment has been provided by the Natureserve Database in conjuction with various federal, provincial, state, county, district, regional, and municipal governments as well as public and private conservation authorities. Information in this section is accurate from the last time this article was updated.
	Asiatic Dayflower has no conservation status as it is concidered an invaisive species in North America.

	The MIROFOSS database offers free printable garden tags for personal and non-profit use. These tags can be used to properly identify plant samples in a garden. Click on the tags shown on the the screen or -click here- to download a full size jpeg image for an asiatic dayflower identification tag; which can be printed on paper or used with a plastic laser printer.
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Description	Dickinson, T.; Metsger, D.; Bull, J.; & Dickinson, R. (2004) ROM Field Guide to Wildflowers of Ontario, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto:McClelland and Stewart Ltd.
Folklore	Hanelt, Peter; Büttner, R.; Mansfeld, Rudolf; Kilian, Ruth (2001), Mansfeld's Encyclopedia of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops, Springer, p. 2414, ISBN 3-540-41017-1
Description	Ohwi, Jisaburo (1965), Flora of Japan (in English), Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, p. 271, ISBN 0-87474-708-2
Description	Invasive Plants of Asian Origin Established in the United States and Their Natural Enemies, Volume 1, USDA Forest Service, retrieved 2018-12-10
Image Rendering	USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA NRCS. Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide to plant species. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Environment	National Audubon Society. Field Guide To Wildflowers (Eastern Region): Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-375-40232-2
Physical Identification	National Audubon Society. Field Guide To Wildflowers (Eastern Region): Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-375-40232-2
December 10, 2018	The last time this page was updated
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