OPAL Score:4
Commelinaceae are shrubs that grow out as a rapidly dense spreading blanket of leaves. The leaves and stems of these plants snap readily, exuding a mucilaginous sap that can attach to the skin to give prolonged exposure to its components, thereby increasing the chance of sensitization.
Confirmed contact allergy has been reported in other members of this family-in Commelina diffusa, Murdannia nudiflora and Tradescantia Fluminensis. A case of anaphylactic shock after exposure to the plant and after routine skin testing with the sap from a leaf of C. fragrans was first reported in Australia in 2006.