Butterfly pea
Clitoria ternatea L.
Butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea) is a legume vine with vivid blue, butterfly-shaped flowers; its flowers brew a tea that changes colour with pH; flat pods hold 6–10 seeds; grown as an ornamental, food colour and soil improver.
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Gallery
Butterfly pea — blue flower teaButterfly pea — flowering vine
Butterfly pea — pinnate leaves
Butterfly pea — vivid blue pea flower
Butterfly pea — green seed pod
Butterfly pea — seedsButterfly pea — blue flower teaButterfly pea — flowering vineOverview
Clitoria ternatea L., commonly called butterfly pea, blue pea, Asian pigeonwings, Darwin pea or cordofan pea, is a perennial herbaceous vine in the legume family (Fabaceae). Its slender, hairy stems climb or scramble 3–10 m. The leaves are odd-pinnate, usually with five (sometimes three to seven) elliptic, obtuse leaflets that are dark green and nearly evergreen. The showy papilionaceous ('butterfly-shaped') flowers are borne singly or in pairs in the leaf axils; they are vivid deep blue to violet with a pale yellow centre, about 4 cm long and 3 cm wide, and are produced sporadically throughout the year — white- and pink-flowered forms also exist. The fruit is a flat pod 5–7 cm long (up to 13 cm in some accounts) containing 6–10 seeds.
Updated by lebachungtdh@gmail.com · 10/11/2026
As a legume, its roots form nodules with rhizobia and fix atmospheric nitrogen, improving soil. The species is named after the Indonesian island of Ternate and is native to the Asian tropics (some sources suggest Latin America); it is now naturalised throughout the tropics of Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas. The flowers are rich in anthocyanins — chiefly ternatins, polyacylated delphinidin glycosides — giving a deep blue infusion that turns violet then pink on adding acid, so the plant serves as a herbal tea, a natural food colouring and a pH indicator. In Indian Ayurveda it is known as aparajita and used medicinally, and it is also widely grown as an ornamental climbing vine.
Updated by lebachungtdh@gmail.com · 10/11/2026
Life cycle
From seed to productVine
Perennial herbaceous vine, slender hairy stems 3–10 m, climbing by twining stems and petioles.
Leaves
Odd-pinnate leaves with 5 (3–7) elliptic, pointed leaflets, dark green.
Flower
Papilionaceous flowers deep blue–violet with a yellow centre, ~4 cm, flowering year-round.
Pod & seed
Flat pod 5–7 cm with 6–10 seeds; turns brown and splits when ripe.
Distribution & origin
Share of recorded occurrences by region- Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam)30%
- South Asia (India, Sri Lanka)25%
- Africa (naturalised)15%
- Australia & Pacific islands15%
- Americas (introduced)15%
Chemical composition
Relative content in agarwood resin- Water45%
- Anthocyanins (ternatins, delphinidin)Blue pigment, pH-sensitive20%
- Flavonol glycosides (clitorin)12%
- Plant protein10%
- Fibre (cellulose)8%
- Minerals5%
Uses
- Tea & drinks: dried flowers steeped in hot water yield a deep blue herbal tea; adding lime or lemon acid shifts it to violet then pink — a popular natural pH indicator used in cocktails and smoothies
- Food colouring: the flowers tint rice (Malaysian nasi kerabu), cakes, sticky rice and desserts bright blue naturally (known in Thailand as nam dok anchan)
- Ornamental & agriculture: grown on trellises and fences as an ornamental; as a legume it fixes nitrogen and is used as a cover crop and soil improver
- Medicine & research: in Ayurveda (India) it is called aparajita and its roots, leaves and seeds are used as medicine; flower anthocyanins are studied for antioxidant and blood-sugar-modulating effects
Properties
- Form
- Perennial herbaceous vine
- Product
- Dried flowers (tea), food colouring
- Hallmark
- Vivid blue butterfly-shaped flower, pH-sensitive colour
- Uses
- Tea, colouring, ornamental, soil improvement
Habitat & conservation
Butterfly pea climbs over fences, shrubs, posts and trellises. It prefers moist, well-drained, neutral soil in a sunny spot and tolerates drought fairly well. It grows quickly, is easy to cultivate and rarely suffers serious pests or diseases, and is commonly planted around homes and parks for shade and flowers, or used as a cover crop and soil improver in the tropics.
Conservation
Butterfly pea is widely cultivated and naturalised across the tropics and is not threatened — classified Least Concern (LC) owing to its very wide distribution and numerous populations. Legume family (Fabaceae), genus Clitoria; related species such as Clitoria fairchildiana are also grown as ornamentals in Vietnam.
References
- 1Plants of the World Online — Clitoria ternatea L. — Kew Science, 2026
- 2Clitoria ternatea (butterfly pea) — description, chemistry, distribution, uses — English Wikipedia, 2026
- 3Đậu biếc (Clitoria ternatea) — đặc điểm, công dụng, phân bố — Vietnamese Wikipedia, 2026
- 4蝶豆 Clitoria ternatea — 形態、用途與蝶豆花應用 — Chinese Wikipedia, 2026
- 5Nguồn ảnh: Mokkie (CC BY-SA 3.0); Vis M (CC BY-SA 4.0) — Wikimedia Commons,
- 6Nguồn ảnh: Forest and Kim Starr (CC BY 3.0 US); Billjones94 (CC BY-SA 4.0); Mx. Granger (CC0) — Wikimedia Commons,