Butterfly pea

Butterfly pea, (Clitoria ternatea), tropical climbing vine native to Asia and Africa. The generic name of the plant is derived from the word clitoris and refers to the resemblance of its flowers to the external female genitalia in humans. The specific epithet means “of Ternate” in Latin, suggesting that the plant originated on the Indonesian island of Ternate, although modern experts consider this attribution to be inaccurate. The plant has been introduced to the tropical and subtropical climatic regions of Australia and North and South America. In India the plant is called sankhpushpi (“cowrie-shaped flower”) and aparajita (“the unvanquished”), among other names, and has spiritual and medicinal significance. Flowers of the blue variety are used to make a popular color-changing herbal beverage that is believed to have health benefits.

Description

This perennial member of the Fabaceae family produces long, slender vines that climb by twining or spread horizontally along the ground. It typically reaches a length of 3–4.6 meters (10–15 feet) and a spread of about 1–1.8 meters (3–6 feet). Mature stems of this plant are hairless, woody, and covered in pinnately compound leaves, each bearing 5–7 (or, rarely, 9) elliptical to egg-shaped leaflets. The leaflets are 2.5–5 cm long (about 1–2 inches), 1.5–3.5 cm (0.6–1.4 inches) wide, and green and papery thin with complete margins. Flowers, about 3.5–5.5 cm (1.4–2.2 inches) long and 2.5–3 cm (1–1.2 inches) wide, are borne singly or in pairs and hang upside down. Each flower has five petals, the largest of which is rounded and bannerlike, with a notch at the tip. Two lateral petals form wrinkled wings that extend to less than halfway along the banner. The two inner petals form the central keel that protects the flower’s reproductive organs. Petals can be vivid blue, white, or purple; the center of each flower is usually yellow or yellowish green. Extra-petaled varieties of the flower, or double-flowered varieties, also exist.

Fruits of the plant are flattened pods that are green and soft when young but papery, dry, and brown when mature. Each pod bears 8–11 seeds.

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Cultivation

The plant grows naturally on riverbeds, grasslands, and human-disturbed areas; it can be propagated from both seeds and stem cuttings. It thrives in bright sunlight and moist, well-drained soil, although it can tolerate mild drought conditions. Butterfly pea grows in a wide range of soil types, preferably with a pH between 6.0 and 8.0. As a climbing vine, it requires adequate support for vertical growth. The plant is sensitive to frost and grows best at temperatures between 24 °C and 32 °C (75.2 °F–89.6 °F). Although generally hardy, the plant is susceptible to certain diseases, including anthracnose and bacterial soft rot, as well as pests such as spider mites, caterpillars, and whiteflies.

Phytochemistry

Butterfly pea contains several flavonol (polyphenol) compounds, notable among which are kaempferol, quercetin, myricetin, and their derivatives. The leaves and flowers of the plant are particularly rich in kaempferol and its derivatives. A special class of anthocyanin compounds called ternatins has also been isolated from this plant. The composition of these chemicals differs depending on the variety of the plant: White butterfly pea flowers, for example, do not produce anthocyanin.

Applications

Agriculture

Similar to other legumes, butterfly pea harbors nitrogen-fixing bacteria in its root nodules, enabling it to enrich the soil with nitrogen. Consequently, it is often grown in rotation with other crops to help improve soil fertility. The plant is also widely cultivated as a fodder crop for livestock. Butterfly pea plant extracts possess potent insecticidal, nematicidal, and antibacterial properties owing to the presence of cyclotides—cyclic peptides that act as defense molecules in plant tissues.

Medicine and pharmaceuticals

Economics of butterfly pea

Growing at an annual rate of about 6.12 percent, the butterfly pea flower market is expected to reach $150.13 million by 2032, up from $105.59 million in 2026. This growth is driven by increasing demand for natural food colors, color-changing beverages, health supplements, and organic skin care products. The trade is poised to benefit farmers, particularly women, in developing economies such as India by converting marginal and underutilized land into income-generating assets.

Laboratory and animal studies have shown that butterfly pea plant extracts have antidiabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic, diuretic, antidepressant, and memory-boosting properties. Various parts of the plant have been used in traditional medicine systems such as Ayurveda to treat conditions including headaches, colic, dropsy, rheumatism, nervous agitation, constipation, dyspepsia, and infections of the eye and throat. A blue-colored herbal drink made from the edible petals, commonly called butterfly pea tea, is popular as a health, beauty, and brain booster. The color of the tea changes depending on the pH of substances added to the mix—it turns deep purple with lemon and deep red with petals of the roselle hibiscus.

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Phytochemicals derived from the plant are used in manufacturing cosmetics. Food-grade natural colorant obtained from the petals of the butterfly pea flower was approved for use in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration in 2021. However, the use of the flowers as food in Europe and the United Kingdom is subject to regulatory approval.