We are the Crystal Gems: taxonomic revision of the gem-fruited species of Commelina L. (Commelinaceae, Commelinales) and their allies Author Pellegrini, Marco O. O. University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, Johannesburg, South Africa. & Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK. Author Cornejo, Xavier Universidad de Guayaquil, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Departamento de Botánica, Herbario GUAY, Guayaquil, Ecuador. xcornejoguay@gmail.com Author Morais, Isa Lucia De Universidade Estadual de Goiás, Câmpus Sudoeste, Sede Quirinópolis, Goiás, Brazil. isamorais1@gmail.com Author De Almeida, Rafael F. University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, Johannesburg, South Africa. & Universidade Estadual de Goiás, Câmpus Sudoeste, Sede Quirinópolis, Goiás, Brazil. rafael.dealmeida@wits.ac.za Author Michelan, Thaisa S. Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil. thaisamichelan@gmail.com text European Journal of Taxonomy 2025 2025-09-25 1020 1 94 https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3073/13709 journal article 312479 10.5852/ejt.2025.1020.3073 357ee87a-0f33-43fc-8f2d-0f6cef4ac528 2118-9773 17206695

Table 1. Diagnostic field characters for the gem-fruited species of the Commelina tuberosa group.

Characters	Commelina almandina sp. nov	Commelina efoveolata	Commelina leiocarpa	Commelina pallida	Commelina texcocana
Growth form	Vining	Scrambling to scrambling-fruticose with scrambling or twining secondary branches	Scrambling-fruticose to erect-fruticose with scrambling or twining secondary branches	Scrambling	Scrambling
Pedicel	Pilose with acicular hairs	Sparsely puberulous with minute hook-hairs	Sparsely puberulous with minute hook-hairs	Pilose with a mixture of acicular and hook-hairs	Pilose with acicular hairs
Dorsal sepal	Elliptic to narrowly triangular, pilose, densely pilose at base	Elliptic to narrowly triangular, pilose along the midvein	Elliptic to narrowly triangular, glabrous	Ovate, glabrous to sparsely puberulous along the midvein	Elliptic to narrowly triangular, setose along the midvein
Lower sepals	Ovate to widely ovate, sparsely pilose, pilose at base	Widely elliptic, glabrous	Ovate to widely ovate, glabrous	Ovate, glabrous	Triangular to widely trullate, glabrous
Paired petal limb	Pale lilac to lilac to light blue	White to light blue	Blue to sky blue	Pale lilac to lilac	White to light blue to blue
Antherodes	X-shaped, white	X-shaped, yellow	V-shaped, white	V-shaped, white	Scarcely X-shaped, white
Lateral anthers	White to cream-coloured, connective white	Yellow, connective pale yellow to yellow	Yellow, connective white to cream-coloured	Pale yellow to yellow, connective white to cream-coloured	Pale yellow to yellow, connective white to cream-coloured
Medial anther	Hastate, curved, white to cream-coloured, connective white	Linear-hastate, strongly curved, yellow, connective yellow	Narrowly sagittate, strongly curved, yellow, connective white to cream-coloured	Linear sagittate to narrowly sagittate, strongly curved, pale yellow to yellow, connective white to cream-coloured	Oblong-sagittate, curved, pale yellow to yellow, connective white to cream-coloured
Gynoecium	Ovary smooth, stigma truncate, white	Ovary smooth, stigma truncate, brownish-mauve to tan-coloured	Ovary smooth, stigma truncate, sky blue	Ovary verrucose, stigma capitate, yellow	Ovary smooth, stigma capitate, white
Capsules	Reddish-brown to dark maroon, opaque, 3-valved	Dark burgundy to atro-vinaceous to black, glaucous, indehiscent	Dark blue to bluish-black to black, glaucous, indehiscent	Tan-coloured, opaque, 3-valved	Tan-coloured, opaque, 3-valved
Seeds	Dimorphic, dark brown to black, ellipsoid (dorsal) or widely ellipsoid (ventral), ventrally flattened, slightly cleft towards the embryotega (dorsal) or not (ventral), testa shallowly rugose with some small furrows on the side opposed to the embryotega (dorsal) or irregularly rugose (ventral), farinae cream-coloured, embryotega semilateral (dorsal) or semilateral to lateral (ventral), with a prominent apicule, hilum longer than ½ the length of the seed (dorsal) or ca. ½ the length of the seed (ventral)	Monomorphic, dark grey to black, widely triangular to triangular-ellipsoid, ventrally flattened, slightly cleft towards the embryotega, testa rugose, farinae white, embryotega semilateral to semidorsal, without a prominent apicule, hilum on a strong ridge, ca the same length as the seed	Monomorphic, light brown to greyish-brown, triangular to triangular-ellipsoid, ventrally pyramidal, not cleft towards the embryotega, testa foveolate, farinae cream-coloured, embryotega semilateral to lateral, without a prominent apicule, hilum ca. the same length as the seed	Dimorphic, dark brown to black, ellipsoid (dorsal) or widely ellipsoid (ventral), ventrally flattened, slightly cleft towards the embryotega (dorsal) or not (ventral), testa shallowly rugose with some small furrows on the side opposed to the embryotega (dorsal) or shallowly rugose to irregularly rugose (ventral), farinae cream-coloured, embryotega semilateral (dorsal) or semilateral to lateral (ventral), with a prominent apicule, hilum longer than ½ the length of the seed (dorsal) or ca. ½ the length of the seed (ventral)	Dimorphic, dark brown to black, ellipsoid (dorsal) or triangular (ventral), ventrally flattened, cleft towards the embryotega (dorsal) or not (ventral), testa shallowly rugose with some small furrows on the side opposed to the embryotega (dorsal) or shallowly rugose to irregularly rugose (ventral), farinae cream-coloured, embryotega semilateral (dorsal) or semilateral to lateral (ventral), with a prominent apicule, hilum longer than ½ the length of the seed (dorsal) or ca. ½ the length of the seed (ventral)