BUTTERFLY PEA (WEED)
Clitoria ternatea, Fam. Fabaceae
Twining perennial climber with minutely hairy stems to 5m long with woody rootstock.
| Form or habit: | Climbing or twining plant |
| Latex: | Fabaceae |
| Leaf: | Compound Alternate Pinnate, 5-7 elliptic to rounded leaflets, 20-50 x 10-30mm, more-or-less glabrous above, sparsely hairy below. Persistent triangular stipules, 4-5mm long. |
| Flower conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Flower colour: | Blue or white, pale yellow at base |
| Flower description: | Pea-shaped blue or white, pale yellow at base, up to 50mm long x 25mm wide, solitary or paired and borne on long axillary stems. |
| Fruit conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Fruit colour: | Brown |
| Fruit: | Dry |
| Fruit description: | Flattened light brown pods, 50-120 x 7-12mm, with a pointed tip, contain 5-10 seeds 3-7mm long. Environmental weed. |
| Habitat: | |
| Distribution | |
| Food source for: | |
| Toxicity: | No toxicity known |
| Origin: | India, Tropical Asia |
| Weed: | Yes |
| Weed status: | Environmental/garden escapee |
| Notes: | Spread by: Seeds in garden waste, possibly also spread by seeds in animal manure. Invades: Roadsides, canefields, natural areas, especially near human habitation. Notes: Garden escapee; now widely naturalised in Queensland. Palatable and nutritious to stock; pods eaten by humans in Philippines. Environmental weed. |
| Information sources: | Mackay Regional Pest Management Group (2011) Weeds of the Mackay Whitsunday Region. |
