Bloomipedia
Whitemouth dayflower (Commelina erecta)
Photo: Jay Horn via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Whitemouth dayflower

Commelina erecta

Whitemouth dayflower (Commelina erecta) is a flowering plant in the Commelinaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–July across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Whitemouth dayflower is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 4 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–July.

34states where USDA records it
4Bloomipedia state lists include it
24,634U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas

Quick look

Commelina erecta, commonly known as white mouth dayflower, slender dayflower, or widow's tears. C. erecta is a blue flower often recognized by its two large blue petals and smaller white petal. It is a perennial herb common across the world and native throughout the Americas, Africa and western Asia.

  • It belongs to the Commelinaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 34 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Texas, Florida, Oklahoma and Kansas. NatureServe
  • In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–July. iNaturalist
  • In Florida, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–July. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 16,258 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #24 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 3,959 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #66 among the 151 flowers on our Florida list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 566 research-grade sightings of it in Oklahoma, ranking #58 among the 159 flowers on our Oklahoma list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (6,891 records)
Bloom time in the 4 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
TexasNativeApril–July16,258
FloridaNativeApril–July3,959
OklahomaNativeMay–September566
KansasNativeJune–September325

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe global
G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
Texas
Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. 31 TAC 69.8
Florida
Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). NatureServe: S5, secure in Florida. FAC 5B-40.0055
Oklahoma
No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
Kansas
No list Kansas's endangered and threatened list (K.A.R. 115-15-1) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's Kansas ranks for plants. NatureServe: S5, secure in Kansas.
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: DE (S1), IA (S1), MI (SX), MN (S1), NY (SX), PA (SX), WV (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records whitemouth dayflower in 34 states plus Washington, D.C.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming; District of Columbia.

Texas counties with USDA records: Anderson, Andrews, Angelina, Aransas, Armstrong, Austin, Bailey, Bandera, Bastrop, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Bowie, Brazoria, Brazos, Brewster, Brooks, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Calhoun, Callahan, Cameron, Cherokee, Childress, Collin, Collingsworth, Colorado, Comal, Comanche, Cooke, Crockett, Crosby, Culberson, Dallam, Dallas, Dawson, DeWitt, Denton, Dickens, Dimmit, Duval, Eastland, Ector, Edwards, El Paso, Erath, Falls, Fayette, Freestone, Frio, Gaines, Galveston, Garza, Gillespie, Goliad, Gonzales, Gray, Grayson, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hardin, Harris, Hartley, Hays, Hemphill, Hidalgo, Hill, Houston, Hudspeth, Hunt, Hutchinson, Irion, Jackson, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Karnes, Kendall, Kenedy, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, Kleberg, La Salle, Lamar, Lamb, Lampasas, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Llano, Loving, Madison, Mason, Matagorda, Maverick, McCulloch, McLennan, McMullen, Medina, Milam, Mills, Montague, Montgomery, Morris, Motley, Nacogdoches, Nueces, Oldham, Palo Pinto, Parker, Pecos, Polk, Potter, Presidio, Randall, Refugio, Roberts, Robertson, Rusk, San Augustine, San Patricio, Smith, Starr, Sterling, Sutton, Swisher, Tarrant, Taylor, Terrell, Travis, Tyler, Upshur, Uvalde, Val Verde, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Ward, Washington, Webb, Wharton, Wheeler, Wichita, Wilbarger, Willacy, Williamson, Wilson, Wood, Young, Zapata.

Florida counties with USDA records: Alachua, Baker, Brevard, Broward, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Holmes, Indian River, Jackson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okaloosa, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Volusia, Walton.

Oklahoma counties with USDA records: Adair, Alfalfa, Beaver, Beckham, Blaine, Bryan, Caddo, Canadian, Carter, Choctaw, Cimarron, Cleveland, Comanche, Cotton, Creek, Custer, Delaware, Dewey, Garvin, Grady, Grant, Greer, Harper, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnston, Kay, Kingfisher, Kiowa, Logan, Love, Marshall, Mayes, McClain, McCurtain, Murray, Muskogee, Oklahoma, Ottawa, Payne, Pottawatomie, Roger Mills, Seminole, Sequoyah, Tulsa, Washita, Woods, Woodward.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Lower 48 states: Native; Puerto Rico: Native; U.S. Virgin Islands: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 757 counties across 32 states; the most are in Texas (154), Kansas (59), Florida (55).

Other Commelina on Bloomipedia (3): Asiatic dayflower, Scrambling dayflower, Virginia dayflower.

More from the Commelinaceae family (5 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Ohio spiderwort, Western spiderwort.

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Sources