Kana / Bengal Dayflower
Commelina hirsuta
Also known as Whiskered Commelina, Tropical Spiderwort
- Habit
- Herb
- Native to
- Central America, Mexico
- Flowering
- July-November
How to identify Kana
Identify Kana by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a herb habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Densely hairy leaves and stems.
- Confirm flower colour: Blue.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: July-November.
- Confirm it sits within the Commelinaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Kana.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Commelina hirsuta
- Genus
- Commelina
- Family
- Commelinaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Native to
- Central America, Mexico
- Distribution
- Central America, Mexico, and introduced in to East tropical Africa, India and Himalayas
- Flowering & fruiting
- July-November
- Conservation status
- Rare (R)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Typical of the Commelinaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Bluerecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kana itself; the rest are typical of the Commelinaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- काना Kana, कनकव्वा Kankawa, बुचना Buchna
- Kannada
- ಹಿಟ್ಟಗಾಣಿ Hittagani, ಕನ್ನೆಸೊಪ್ಪು Kannesoppu ಗುಬ್ಬಚ್ಚಿಬಾಳೆ Gubbacchi baale
- Malayalam
- kanankolai, kancatam
- Manipuri
- ꯋꯥꯡꯗꯦꯟ ꯈꯣꯏꯕꯤ Wangden khoibi
- Marathi
- केना Kena
- Nepali
- काने Kane
- Sanskrit
- kanchata, kosapuspi, marishajalaja
- Tamil
- கானாங்கோழை kanangkozai, adutinnathalai, kanan valai
- Telugu
- neerukaassuvu, nirukassuvu
About Kana
A member of the Commelinaceae family, Bengal Dayflower (Commelina hirsuta) is a herb. It is native to Central America, Mexico. Flowering and fruiting run from July to November.
Commelinaceae
Spiderwort Family
Kana belongs to the Commelinaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Commelinaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides