Murdannia pauciflora: Few flowered dewflower

Family: Commelinaceae
Common name: Few flowered dew flower

Few flowered dew flowers are very pretty, peach-orange in color blooming aplenty during the rainy season. These sturdy little plants are seen in the wild, their long, trailing stems intertwined with other wild plants commonly seen on the ground.

The plants can grow to a length of 30-50 cm with greenish-pink hairy stems. Leaves are lance-shaped, roughly oval with a rounded tip, attached to the stem without any stalk or sessile.

Leaf bases and stems have tiny white hairs that are clearly visible. Few flowered dew flowers have 3 petals that are oval in shape with very prominent stamens and style.

Once pollinated they produce small capsules that contain tiny black seeds. These plants can spread very quickly through seeds or stem cuttings.

They are also capable of rooting at the nodes helping the plant spread over large areas very quickly. These plants are commonly seen in moist, tropical weather thriving during rains. With summer, the leaves brown and shrivel leaving seeds on the ground that can germinate with rains in the next season.

Since they are seasonal and dry up during summer, Few flowered dew flower plants are not considered invasive. If you take time to bend down and look closely, these are one of the prettiest flowers you will find with their unique shape and petal colors.

They can be grown in home gardens as hanging plants since they bloom well with very little care.

Propagation is through seeds and stem cuttings. These plants can also root to the nodes producing new plants.