Clitoria ternatea, commonly known asAsian pigeonwings,^[1]bluebellvine,blue pea,butterfly pea,cordofan pea, orDarwin pea,^[2] is a plant species belonging to the familyFabaceae and native to the Indonesian island ofTernate.^[3]: 215 In Indian Ayurveda it is commonly known by the nameaparajita.^[4][5] It is also sometimes confused in India withConvolvulus prostratus (Convolvulus pluricaulis).

Clitoria ternatea
Flowers and foliage
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Faboideae
Genus:	Clitoria
Species:	C. ternatea
Binomial name
Clitoria ternatea L.

It is aperennialherbaceous plant, with elliptic, obtuse leaves. It grows as a vine or creeper, doing well in moist, neutral soil.Its most striking feature is the color of its flowers, a vivid deep blue; solitary, with light yellow markings. They are about 4 cm (1+1⁄2 in) long by3 cm (1+1⁄4 in) wide. Some varieties yield white flowers and pink.

The fruits are5–7 cm (2–2+3⁄4 in) long, flat pods with six to ten seeds in each pod. They are edible when tender.

It is grown as an ornamental plant and as a revegetation species (e.g., in coal mines in Australia), requiring little care when cultivated. As alegume, its roots form a symbiotic association with soil bacteria known asrhizobia, which transform atmospheric N₂ into a plant-usable form (a process called nitrogen fixing), therefore, this plant is also used to improve soil quality through the decomposition of nitrogen rich plant material.

Chemical compounds isolated fromC. ternatea include varioustriterpenoids,flavonol glycosides,anthocyanins andsteroids.^[6] Cyclic peptides known ascliotides have been isolated from the heat-stable fraction ofC. ternatea extract.^[7] The blue colour ofC. ternatea is a result of variousanthocyanins, most importantlyternatins – polyacylated derivatives ofdelphinidin 3,3', 5'-triglucoside (Da-T).^[8][9][10]

The genus nameClitoria is derived from "clitoris", due to their blossoms' shape that resembles the shape of a humanvulva. The first reference to the genus, which includes an illustration of the plant, was made in 1678 byJakób Breyne, aPolish naturalist, who described it asFlos clitoridis ternatensibus, meaning 'Ternatean flower of the clitoris'.^[11][12] The species name is derived from the name of the island where botanistCarl Linnaeus's specimens originated: theTernate Island, located in thenorthern part of the Maluku Islands.^[13][3]

This plant is native toequatorial Asia, including locations inSouth Asia andSoutheast Asia but has also been introduced to Africa, Australia and the Americas.

C. ternatea does not suffer from any severe pest or disease problems.^[14][15]

Rarely suffers fromcaterpillars,^[14]whiteflies,^[14][15][16] andspider mites.^[15][16]

Suffers fromanthracnose andbacterial soft rot.^[16] Rarely suffers from fungalroot rots.^[15]

The flower can be used to dye natural fibers and is used by traditional societies in Asia to do so.

In Southeast Asia, the flower is used as a natural food colouring to colour glutinous rice and desserts like the Eurasianputugal as well as anayurvedic medicine.^[17] InKelantan, in the north-east of peninsular Malaysia, it is an important ingredient innasi kerabu, giving it its characteristic bluish colour. InBurmese andThai cuisines, the flowers are also dipped in butter and fried. It is also used to colour theNyonya dishpulot tartal.^[18]

Butterfly pea flower tea is made from the ternatea flowers and driedlemongrass and changes color depending on what is added to the liquid, with lemon juice turning it purple.^[19] InThailand andVietnam, this butterfly blue pea flower tea is commonly mixed with honey and lemon to increase acidity and turn the beverage a pink-purple color, to produce for a drink usually served after dinner, or as a refreshment at hotels and spas.^[20] The drink is a typical local drink likechamomile tea is in other parts of the world.^[20] The tea is found in both hot and cold varieties.^[21]

The flowers have more recently been used in a color-changinggin andabsinthe. Blue in the bottle, it turns pink when mixed with acarbonatedmixer such astonic water due to the change in pH.^[22] As organic colours are not permanent, this type of gin is recommended to be stored in a dark place to maintain the effect.^[23] It is, however, not an allowed food ingredient in the EU and at least one gin using it was recalled for that reason.^[24]

In traditional ayurvedic medicine, it is ascribed with various qualities including memory enhancing,nootropic, antistress,anxiolytic, antidepressant,anticonvulsant, tranquilizing, and sedative properties.^[6] Intraditional Chinese medicine, the plant has been ascribed properties affecting female libido due to its similar appearance to the female reproductive organ.^[25] Its extract has been shown to reduce intensity of behavior caused byserotonin and acetylcholine in mice.^[26]

Its extracts possess a wide range of pharmacological activities including antimicrobial, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, diuretic, local anesthetic, antidiabetic, insecticidal, blood platelet aggregation-inhibiting and for use as a vascular smooth muscle relaxing properties.^{[citation needed]} This plant has a long use in traditional ayurvedic medicine for several diseases and the scientific studies^[which?] has reconfirmed those with modern relevance^[which?].^[27]

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  Butterfly pea flower tea is made fromC ternatea flowers
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  Thaikhao tom sweet, colored blue withC. ternatea flowers
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  A less common "double-flowered"C. ternatea
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  Flower and pods in different states of ripeness
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  Seeds
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  Vietnamese woman collecting butterfly pea flowers in hernón lá

  Media related toClitoria ternatea at Wikimedia Commons

• "Plant of the Week—Clitoria ternatea". Archived fromthe original on 2007-08-09. Retrieved2007-07-31.
• "Clitoria ternatea". Tropical Forages. Archived fromthe original on 2007-08-17. Retrieved2007-07-31.
• A strain ofClitoria ternatea from the Philippines from the Int'l Soc. for Taxonomic ExplorationsArchived 2020-10-24 at theWayback Machine by Isidro A. T. Savillo.