Details
| Full name | Commelina ‘Moonlight’. |
| Name status | Accepted, the valid name for a unique cultivar. Registered in 2025 by Ms. Chayanisa Thiemkamol, the name will be formally established once published in hardcopy (Brickell et al., 2016, Art. 27.6). |
| Origins | Raised from seed in 2024, both seed and pollen parents were the same unnamed variegated Commelina benghalensis. Named to reflect the pale variegation resembling moonbeams on the leaves, while the distinctive dotting pattern evokes stars scattered across a night sky. Bred, named, registered, and introduced by Ms. Chayanisa Thiemkamol in Chiang Mai, Thailand. |
| Classification | Commelina benghalensis is in the Commelinaceae family. |
| Legal protection | None. |
| Availability | Locally produced. |
Description
Described by Ms. Chayanisa Thiemkamol with reference to the RHS Colour Chart.
| Species | Commelina benghalensis. |
| Growth habit | A clumping, herbaceous perennial with upright to arching stems. Overall size and morphology do not differ significantly from the typical form of the species. |
| Foliage | Leaves are lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, with smooth margins and parallel venation. Young seedlings begin with narrower blades, later broadening into mature foliage with more pronounced width and variegation. Average leaf length: 5–9 cm; width: 1.5–3 cm (at maturity). Background colour is medium to dark green (approx RHS 137A-137B). Variegated with longitudinal striping and banding, irregular in width, ranging from creamy white (RHS 155D) to pale yellow-green (RHS 145C). Sometimes dotted or speckled on the leaf surface in addition to the stripes. Young leaves may show reduced chlorophyll with pale sectors, developing more stable variegation as they mature. |
| Flowers | Produced intermittently throughout the growing season. The flowers are 1.2-1.5cm across. The two conspicuous upper petals are vivid violet-purple (N87A), and the reduced lower petal is pale violet (91C). Stamens are pale yellow (11C) with purple filaments. |
| Comparisons | Compared to the unnamed parent forms, ‘Moonlight’ has a combination of both striped and spotted variegation on the leaves, rather than only stripes. The leaves of ‘Moonlight’ are larger, broader, and thicker, with more prominent venation and parallel striping. ‘Moonlight’ also has a more vigorous growth habit, and larger flowers. |
References
Brickell, C. D., Alexander, C., Cubey, J. J., David, J. C., Hoffman, M. H. A., Leslie, A. C., Malécot, V., Jin, X. (2016). International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants. PDF link.