Scurvy weed, or Commelina cyana, is a lovely little native plant, despite the common name of the plant. This comes from the fact that early Europeans used to eat it to help prevent scurvy. It is a prostrate, perennial herb. The binomial name, Commelina cyana, has the following meanings:

• Commelina-named after J. and G. Commelin, who were 17th century botanists.
• Cyanea-comes from the Greek word ‘cyanos’ which means blue.

The native habitat of scurvy weed is in shady, moist areas within woodland s and forest. It has a preference for part shade. It does prefer soils that are heavier and more moisture retentive, although the nutrient content of that soil is preferred to be lower. In warmer, wetter weather it grows really quickly and dies back in cooler and drier months of the year.

The leaves are ovate in shape, up to eight centimetres long and fifteen millimetres long.

The flowers are made up of three blue petals that surround the yellow anthers. They appear in spring and summer. The flowers attract many native bees as well as other insects.

By its nature, scurvy weed is a ground cover. This makes it a useful plant for many reasons. There is the fact that it provides shelter for animals like lizards and frogs and provides cover from predators or larger animals. Scurvy weed is also food for herbivores like wallabies. Scurvy weed is a pioneer species where it revegetates areas cleared of weeds. In colonising such areas, it protects the soil from erosion as well as helping to prevent weeds from appearing. In a garden setting, it is a handy little plant for those damp, shady areas that people always seem to struggle filling with plants.

This delightful little plant is well worth having my garden. When I see scurvy weed flowering, I always see tiny native bees flying around the flowers. It is also really pretty and is quite useful as a ground cover around other, larger plants.