An overlooked invasive alien plant of Jejudo Island: Commelina caroliniana (Commelinaceae)

Abstract

Invasive alien species management is pivotal for biodiversity conservation. Commelina caroliniana Walter, from the family Commelinaceae, is an alien plant native to the Himalayas and India, but it has been widely introduced around the world, including in the United States, Brazil, Philippines, and Japan. In Korea, the first population was found growing adjacent to agricultural land and farm roads on Jejudo Island, and field observations confirmed the presence of at least nine populations there. It is similar morphologically to C. diffusa Burm. f. but can be distinguished by involucral bracts that are ciliate at the base, hairs on the peduncle and obsolete upper cincinnus, brown spots on its 4-lobed antherode, and seed surfaces that are smooth to slightly alveolate. It was determined to have an invasiveness low score of 8 according to the Korean 'Invasive Alien Plant Risk Assessment', suggesting that it may spread to natural habitats. Although the current distribution of C. caroliniana is restricted to Jeju-si, it has spread dramatically in many other areas of the world. At present, it has had a limited impact on the local environment, but local and regulatory authorities should pay close attention to this plant and take measures to prevent its expansion in the future.

The complete chloroplast genome assembly of Commelina caroliniana Walter (Commelinaceae)

“…Even with unresolved taxonomic issues, new species of Commelina have been reported, exacerbating confusion for the identification of Commelina species (Hassemer 2019 ; Kang et al. 2021 ). To address these issues, various taxonomic studies, including nomenclatural, morphological, and phylogenetic analyses, are essentially required.…”

“…Commelina caroliniana Walter, 1788, is a well-known invasive alien species in the United States (Faden 1989 ; Faden 1993 ; Kang et al. 2021 ) ( Figure 1 ). However, until 1989, it was recognized as the same species as the more commonly encountered C. diffusa Burm.f., with a wider distribution range than C. caroliniana, because of their morphological similarities (Faden 1989 ; Faden 1993 ; Kang et al.…”

“…However, until 1989, it was recognized as the same species as the more commonly encountered C. diffusa Burm.f., with a wider distribution range than C. caroliniana, because of their morphological similarities (Faden 1989 ; Faden 1993 ; Kang et al. 2021 ; Plants of the World Online 2023 ). While C. caroliniana has distinguishable features in the forms of inflorescence, flowers, and seeds from those of C. diffusa , these characteristics are difficult to discern and can be easily overlooked, leading to occasional misidentification.…”