Butterfly Pea (Clitoria ternatea)

Vibrant, Versatile Climber with Stunning Blue Flowers

Common Names: Butterfly Pea, Asian Pigeonwings, Blue Pea, Darwin Pea
Family: Fabaceae
Origin: Tropical Asia

Butterfly Pea (Clitoria ternatea) is a fast-growing perennial vine known for its striking, vivid blue flowers, which are often used as a natural food dye or brewed into herbal tea. Native to tropical Asia, this leguminous plant is a favorite in home gardens and permaculture landscapes for its nitrogen-fixing ability, which enhances soil fertility. The flowers of Butterfly Pea are highly valued for their culinary and medicinal uses, as well as their ability to change color when exposed to different pH levels, making them popular in beverages and culinary creations. In addition to its beauty and usefulness, Butterfly Pea is a resilient and low-maintenance plant, making it an excellent choice for gardeners in warm climates.

Distinctive Features, Uses, and Nutritional Value

Flowers: The Butterfly Pea produces bright blue, pea-shaped flowers, often with a white or yellow throat. These flowers are not only ornamental but also edible and used in a variety of culinary applications and uses, including teas, desserts, cocktails - even natural dye for food and hair products. The flowers contain antioxidants, particularly anthocyanins, which give them their striking blue color and offer health benefits like anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. 

Butterfly Pea blooms prolifically and is covered with bright blue-purple (dare we say, blurple) blossoms. When used in liquid form, the color morphs depending on the ph.  For example, the blue-purple color changes to bright pink when lemon or seltzer water is added and the acidity is raised. It's incredible, cool, and magical!

Foliage: The plant has green, oval-shaped leaflets that form along the vining stems. The foliage adds lush greenery to trellises, arbors, or fences where the vine climbs.

Growth Habit: Butterfly Pea is a fast-growing, twining vine that can reach up to 10-15 feet in length, making it ideal for vertical gardening. It is a short-lived perennial in tropical and subtropical climates and can be grown as an annual in cooler regions.

Culinary and Medicinal Uses

Butterfly Pea flowers are widely used in Southeast Asian cuisine and herbal medicine. The flowers are often brewed into a blue herbal tea, which can change color to purple or pink when lemon or other acidic ingredients are added. The tea is said to promote relaxation and support cognitive function. Butterfly Pea flowers are also used as a natural food dye in rice dishes, desserts, and cocktails. In traditional medicine, the plant is believed to enhance memory, reduce stress, and improve skin health.

As a legume, its roots form a symbiotic association with soil bacteria known as rhizobia, 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.