Scurvy weed (Commelina cyanea)
Scurvy weed is also known as Forget-Me-Not and Native Wandering Jew. It is not in the same family as Wandering Jew.
After you finish reading this, you will be able to:
- Identify Scurvy Weed or Forget-Me-Not.
- Know the habitat of Scurvy Weed or Forget-Me-Not.
- Know the best cultural and chemical options to control Forget-Me-Not.
Scurvy weed is a long-lived, invasive, branching, creeping weed of gardens. It is a common weed of open, moist habitats with disturbed soils. The weed is able to cope with saturated soil conditions and temporary flooding.
It is a tuberous herb roots from each leaf node on a stem, and can spread rapidly over a lawn, smothering the grass.
The distribution map is courtesy of The Atlas of Living Australia.
How to Identify Scurvy weed.
Native Wandering Jew or Forget-Me-Not spreads vegetatively via its creeping stems, and by seeds. Seeds and stem pieces spread by water and also in contaminated soil.
Category: Dicot
Photosynthetic Pathway: C3 Weed.
Flower: Flowers, are in small clusters , and are three bright blue (rarely white) petals. Flowers open only in the morning.
Height: Prostrate.
Leaf length: The leaves of Forget-Me-Not are 4-6 cm long, elongate with pointed tips.
Leaf width: Forget-Me-Not leaves are 2-24 mm wide. Hairs exist on the margins of the leaves.
Reproduction: Scurvy Weed spreads via its creeping stems, and by its seeds. Seeds and stem pieces spread by water and also in soil.
Comments: The leaves are alternate along the stems
Habitat: This plant is usually found in high humidity areas under the shade of trees.
Native Wandering Jew is a good soil indicator of high nutrient soils. For more information check out our weed ID Chart.
How to control Scurvy Weed in your lawn.
You can control Forget-Me-Not by cultural and chemical means.
Cultural control:
Physical & Mechanical.
Native Wandering Jew is a difficult weed to control by hand as small pieces of the plant will regrow. You need to remove all vegetative material and dispose off off site.
Chemical control:
In Australia, several herbicides control Native Wandering Jew. Examples include bentazone, and pendimethalin (pre-emergent). 2,4-D or glyphosate do not work well to control Scurvy Weed. In Fiji, you can use metsulfuron-methyl.