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Clitoria ternatea

L. (1753)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Rosids Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Genus: Clitoria

blue pea, butterfly pea

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Climbing or sprawling perennial herbs from a woody rootstock, pubescent with fine, minutely uncinate hairs.

Stems: Stems up to 3 m long.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves compound. Alternate. Leaflets 5 or 7(9), elliptic to suborbicular, 1–6.7 cm long, 0.5–4 cm wide, blades pinnately foliate. Lower leaflet surfaces pubescent. Leaflet margins entire. Petiolate. Stipules present, the stipules striate, persistent, lanceolate, (2–)4–10 mm long. Leaflet stipels present.

Flowers: Flowers axillary, solitary or paired. Flowers papilionaceous, resupinate. Bracteoles large, striate, ovate to orbicular, covering the flower buds, 0.5–1.7 cm long. Calyx 5-lobed, lower lobe usually largest, upper 2 lobes connate only at base; 1.5–2.2 cm long, distinctly veined, pubescent. Corolla blue or white with blue margins, or occasionally entirely white, the inner area at base pale or greenish yellow; standard 3–5 cm long, much larger than wings and keel. Stamens 10; upper stamen distinct, the other 9 connate into a tube. Ovary superior, stipitate; ovules 2 to numerous.

Fruit: Pods dehiscent; linear–oblong; compressed; (4–)6–12 cm long; 0.7–1.2 cm wide; with a longitudinal ridge on both valves; filled with soft tissue between the seeds; apex beaked. Seeds 8–10; reddish brown top dark brown; with darker mottling; ellipsoid to reniform; 4–8 mm long; 3–5 mm in diameter; slightly laterally flattened; compressed.

Ploidy: 2n = 14; 16.

Habitat: Native range uncertain; but probably Neotropical; now pan–tropical.

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Kaua'i Naturalized
O'ahu Naturalized
Lana'i Naturalized
Maui Naturalized

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Specimens

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Notes

  • 1600-1800 m
  • Description digitized by McKenna Bonn-Savage
  • Description digitized from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii
  • Native neotropical, seeds possibly toxic to livestock

Bibliography

Name Published In: Sp. Pl.: 753 (1753)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:656 (O [as Clitoria ternata]); Oppenheimer & Bartlett 2000:5 (WM); Staples et al. 2002:10 (KEY); Staples & Herbst 2005:299 (KEY), 313 (DESCR); Starr et al. 2010:64 (L)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Scientific Name Authorship Locality Habitat Basis of Record Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Clitoria ternatea L. Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden. 45-680 Luluku Rd. Kaneohe. Philippine area Dry, rocky coastal shrubland PRESERVED_SPECIMEN C. Imada 2004-14 Oahu HAPI 2/14/2004
2 Clitoria ternatea L. honolulu, kewalo st PRESERVED_SPECIMEN weber, p.w. Hawaii BISH 5/1/1945
3 Clitoria ternatea L. road to waialae nui ridge PRESERVED_SPECIMEN egler, f.e. collector number: 37-12 Oahu BISH
4 Clitoria ternatea L. Bishop Museum PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Forbes, C.N. 1726.O Oahu BISH 1/3/1912
5 Clitoria ternatea L. w maui, lahaina district, alaeloa, se of intersection of honoapiilani hwy. and napilihau rd middle Metrosideros forest PRESERVED_SPECIMEN oppenheimer, h.l. bartlett, r. collector number: h99910 Hawaii BISH 9/15/1999
6 Clitoria ternatea L. U.H. Manoa PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Rock, J.F.C. s.n. Oahu BISH
7 Clitoria ternatea L. Haleiwa, Cane Road nr. Weed Junction silty loam, on sugar cane PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Afualo, D. 77 Oahu BISH 3/16/1975
8 Clitoria ternatea L. honolulu, u.h. campus PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Oahu BISH 12/9/1929
9 Clitoria ternatea L. Southeast Oahu, Makapuu, Alan Davis Beach Dry, rocky coastal shrubland with low Panicum maximum, Cenchrus ciliaris, Leucaena leucocephala, Abutilon incanum. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Imada, C.T. Collector Number: 2004-14 Oahu BISH 2/14/2004
10 Clitoria ternatea L. keomuku road, between halulu and kahohunui PRESERVED_SPECIMEN oppenheimer, h.l. collector number: h40728 Hawaii BISH 4/24/2007
11 Clitoria ternatea L. W Maui, Lahaina District, Alaeloa, SE of intersection of Honoapiilani Hwy. and Napilihau Rd Naturalizing, with many seedlings noted. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Oppenheimer, H.L. H99910 Maui BISH 9/15/1999
12 Clitoria ternatea L. West Maui, Lahaina Distr., Alaeloa, SE of intersection of Honoapiilani Hwy and Napilihau rd PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Oppenheimer, H. L.; Bartlett, R. H99910 Maui US 9/15/1999
13 Clitoria ternatea L. waimea falls park, waimea, north coast of oahu island PRESERVED_SPECIMEN shirley c. tucker 26718 PH 1/17/1985
14 Clitoria ternatea L. Alaeloa. SE of the intersec tion of Honoapi'ilani Hwy & Napilihau St. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Hank Oppenheimer H80036 Maui PTBG 8/22/2000
15 Clitoria ternatea L. Waimanu St., Kewalo, Honolulu PRESERVED_SPECIMEN W. M. Bush 342 Oahu PTBG 3/23/1976
16 Clitoria ternatea L. oahu Reef edge. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN mann, h. brigham, w.t. collector number: 354 Oahu BISH
17 Clitoria ternatea L. Hulopoe Rd. Growing in disturbed broken rock on steep dry slope. Growing in coastal dry Kiawe and Cenchrus scrub. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Forest Starr Starr-070402-02 Lanai PTBG 4/2/2007
18 Clitoria ternatea L. Alaeloa, SE of intersection of Honoapiilani Hwy. and Napilihau Road. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Hank Oppenheimer H99910 Maui PTBG 9/15/1999
19 Clitoria ternatea L. Kekaha, near intersection with Kekaha road and Akialoa Road, near irrigation ditch. Growing in patch of grass alongside irrigation ditch; dry, open. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Kelsey Brock 739 Kauai PTBG 10/17/2015
20 Clitoria ternatea L. KAUAI: Lawai Valley. Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden. Cultivated Plants. Bamboo Bridge. Vine near Hau tunnel. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Tim Flynn 3114 Kauai PTBG 8/29/1988
21 Clitoria ternatea L. west of makapu`u lighthouse, oceanside (south) of cyperus trachysanthos population Dry grass/shrubland with exotic vegetation PRESERVED_SPECIMEN c. corn s.n. Oahu US 6/19/1997
22 Clitoria ternatea L. Southeast O`ahu, Makapuu, Alan Davis Beach. Dry, rocky coastal shrubland PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Imada, C. T. 2004-14 Oahu US 2/14/2004
23 Clitoria ternatea L. Southeast O`ahu, Makapuu, Alan Davis Beach. Dry, rocky coastal shrubland PRESERVED_SPECIMEN C. Imada 2004-14 Oahu US 2/14/2004
24 Clitoria ternatea L. West of Makapu`u Lighthouse, oceanside (south) of Cyperus trachysanthos population Dry grass/shrubland with exotic vegetation PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Corn, C. s.n. Oahu US 6/19/1997
25 Clitoria ternatea L. southeast o`ahu, makapuu, alan davis beach. Dry, rocky coastal shrubland PRESERVED_SPECIMEN c. imada 2004-14 Oahu US 2/14/2004
26 Clitoria ternatea L. west maui, lahaina distr., alaeloa, se of intersection of honoapiilani hwy and napilihau rd PRESERVED_SPECIMEN h. l. oppenheimer & r. bartlett h99910 Oahu US 9/15/1999
27 Clitoria ternatea L. no further locality PRESERVED_SPECIMEN aborn, r. s.n. YPM 6/10/1962
28 Clitoria ternatea L. Honolulu, Kewalo St PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Weber, P.W. s.n. Oahu BISH 5/1/1945
29 Clitoria ternatea L. U.H. Manoa PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Yoshinaga, E.K. s.n. Oahu BISH 11/20/1929
30 Clitoria ternatea L. southeast oahu, makapuu, alan davis beach Dry, rocky coastal shrubland with low Panicum maximum, Cenchrus ciliaris, Leucaena leucocephala, Abutilon incanum. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN imada, c.t. collector number: 2004-14 Oahu BISH 2/14/2004
31 Clitoria ternatea L. Oahu PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Mann, H. 354 Oahu BISH 2/6/1905
32 Clitoria ternatea L. Relict garden plant at side of Mana Sugar Camp, junction of Hwy. 50 and Mana Rd. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Lynwood Hume 431 Kauai PTBG 10/18/1989
33 Clitoria ternatea L. road to Waialae Nui Ridge PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Egler, F.E. 37-12 Oahu BISH 4/20/1905
34 Clitoria ternatea L. honolulu, makiki district park on a fence; full sun PRESERVED_SPECIMEN lau, j. collector number: 1716 Oahu BISH 12/9/1985
35 Clitoria ternatea L. Honolulu, Makiki District Park on a fence; full sun PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Lau, J. 1716 Oahu BISH 12/9/1985
36 Clitoria ternatea L. Honolulu, U.H. Campus PRESERVED_SPECIMEN s.n. Oahu BISH 12/9/1929
37 Clitoria ternatea L. bishop museum PRESERVED_SPECIMEN forbes, c.n. collector number: 1726.o Oahu BISH 1/3/1912
38 Clitoria ternatea L. honolulu, kewalo st Phyllostegia, Zanthoxylum, Rumex PRESERVED_SPECIMEN weber, p.w. Oahu BISH 5/1/1945
39 Clitoria ternatea L. u.h. manoa Metrosideros, Dicranopteris PRESERVED_SPECIMEN rock, j.f.c. Hawaii BISH
40 Clitoria ternatea L. haleiwa, cane road nr. weed junction silty loam, on sugar cane PRESERVED_SPECIMEN afualo, d. collector number: 77 Oahu BISH 3/16/1975
41 Clitoria ternatea L. mana sugar camp, jct. of hwy. 50 and mana rd roadside PRESERVED_SPECIMEN hume, l. flynn, t. collector number: 431 Kauai BISH 10/18/1989
42 Clitoria ternatea L. Keomuku Road, between Halulu and Kahohunui in Prosopis thicket in sandy soil PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Oppenheimer, H.L. Collector Number: H40728 Lanai BISH 4/24/2007
43 Clitoria ternatea L. Southeast Oahu, Makapuu, Alan Davis Beach Dry, rocky coastal shrubland with low Panicum maximum, Cenchrus ciliaris, Leucaena leucocephala, Abutilon incanum. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Imada, C.T. 2004-14 Oahu BISH 2/14/2004
44 Clitoria ternatea L. u.h. manoa PRESERVED_SPECIMEN yoshinaga, e.k. Laysan BISH 11/20/1929
45 Clitoria ternatea L. Mana Sugar Camp, jct. of Hwy. 50 and Mana Rd roadside PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Hume, L. 431 Kauai BISH 10/18/1989
46 Clitoria ternatea L. Keomuku Road, between Halulu and Kahohunui in Prosopis thicket in sandy soil PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Oppenheimer, H.L. H40728 Lanai BISH 4/24/2007
47 Clitoria ternatea L. Waimea District. Kekaha, near intersection with Kekaha road and Akialoa Raod, near irrigation ditch. Growing in patch of grass alongside irrigation ditch. dry, open PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Brock, K. 739 Kauai BISH 10/17/2015
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