Atlantic Pigeonwings, Butterfly Pea
Clitoria mariana

Family: Leguminosae

What it is like

Clitoria mariana is a PERENNIAL CLIMBER growing to 0.8 m (2ft 7in) by 0.8 m (2ft 7in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 7. It can fix Nitrogen. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: neutral soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

Height (m): 0.8

Where it is found

Dry open forests, shale barrens, and rocky or sandy woodlands.

The plant is native to the eastern, southern, and central United States west to New Mexico and Arizona. It is also found in Asia, in: Bhutan, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and southern China (Guangxi, Yunnan)

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Laos, Myanmar, North America, SE Asia, Thailand, USA, Vietnam. In the United States it has been recorded in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Washington, D.C., Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.

How it is used

Food

Rating: 0

Medicine

Rating: 0

The roots and seeds have been used medicinally, including as an aphrodisiac according to the ancient but unscientific doctrine of signatures.' but we have not been able to confirm this - Missouriplants.com

Aphrodisiac: Increases the sexual appetite.

Other

Rating: 3

Nitrogen fixer.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

Nitrogen Fixer: Plants that fix nitrogen in the soil

How it is grown

A temperate perennial forb. Stems are erect to reclining or trailing, to 1.2m, glabrous to sparsely pubescent with short, fine, curved hairs. It is a twining vine and not a climbing vine so is often found growing along the ground. In southern China it grows in forests between 100-2,000m above sea level. It grows in hardiness zones 6-9. Light Requirement: Sun, Part Shade. Preferred soil: Dry and Sandy. Bloom Color: Pink, Blue. Bloom Time: Jun to Aug. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. Herbaceous. Growth habit is a single or multiple shooting vine from a crown.

Propagating it: Seed

Best place to grow:

Habit: Perennial Climber

Hardiness: 6-9

Growth: Medium

Soil: Light (sandy), medium

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

Parts of the plant are poisonous. No further information given.

Its other names

Local names

Butterfly pea, Atlantic pigeon wings, Biec tim, Taw-peik-san, Taw-pesein,

Synonyms

C. mariana var. mariana. C. marina L. [Spelling variant]. Martiusia mariana (L.) Small. Nauchea mariana (L.) Descourt. Ternatea mariana (L.) Kuntze. Vexillaria mariana (L.) Raf. Vexillaria mariana (L.) Eaton.