Ormiston Gorge FloraHill Sunray Native Fuchsia Pink Rock Wort Wandering Jew
The Wandering Jew (Commelina ensifolia) grows as a prostrate herb that produce roots from the stem at the nodes. The bright blue flower has three petals, although one of the petal is much smaller than the other two, giving the appearance of two petals.
Whilst the plant prefers moist soils, it has a broad range that extend from the coastal to the arid central deserts (often seen growing after sufficient rains).
The leaves are semi-fleshy, with both the leaves and stems covered in pale hairs. The flowers inflorescence emerges from a cup-like bract, also cover in pale hairs. The fruit of the plant is enclosed in a large bract.
The plant has been eaten by Aboriginal people, as well as the early European settlers. who ate it to prevent scurvy.
Common names:
Wandering Jew, Scurvy weed, Scurvy grass.
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Clade: Tracheophytes
- Clade: Angiosperms
- Clade: Monocots
- Clade: Commelinids
- Order: Commelinales
- Family: Commelinaceae
- Genus: Commelina
- Species: C. ensifolia
- Binomial name: Commelina ensifolia
Ormiston Gorge FloraHill Sunray Native Fuchsia Pink Rock Wort Wandering Jew
Ormiston Gorge & PoundOrmiston Gorge Fauna Ormiston Gorge Flora Ormiston Gorge Landscape
West MacDonnell RangesBirthday Waterhole Ellery Creek Big Hole Finke Two Mile Glen Helen Gorge Jay Creek John Flynn’s Grave Historical Reserve Laura Creek Larapinta Drive Mount Sonder / Rwetyepme Namatjira Drive The Neil Hargrave Lookout Ochre Pits Ormiston Gorge & Pound Point Howard Lookout Redbank Gorge Simpsons Gap
MacDonnell RangesEast MacDonnell Ranges West MacDonnell Ranges Tjoritja West MacDonnell National Park