Shankhpushpi-Butterfly Pea ‘Thai Double Blue’

Family

Convolvulaceae

Native

Tropical America

Description

Clitoria ternatea, known as Butterfly pea, is a short-lived, herbaceous perennial climber with a sturdy woody rootstock. Each year, it produces slender stems up to 3 meters long from the woody base, which do not root at the nodes.

The Clitoria ternatea ‘Double Blue’ cultivar features double-petaled flowers with a full, rose-like form, showcasing vibrant violet-blue petals with a lighter center and a white throat. Its compound leaves consist of 5–7 oval leaflets.

Prized for its striking blooms, this variety is popular in ornamental gardens and specialty teas. Beyond aesthetics, it offers medicinal benefits such as memory enhancement and stress relief. Traditionally harvested for food, medicine, and dye, it is also cultivated for soil improvement due to its symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria that enrich the surrounding soil.

Environment

Clitoria ternatea thrives best in heavy clay soils under full sun and grows optimally within a pH range of 5.5 to 8.9. It adapts well to various well-drained soils, especially fertile and friable types, but struggles in infertile sandy soils without added fertilizer. Regular pruning and the application of phosphorus-rich fertilizers, such as bone meal, support healthy growth. Flowering usually starts 7 to 11 weeks after planting, with blooms and pod development overlapping, allowing continuous flowering throughout the year in frost-free environments.

Landscape Uses

Perfect for containers, as a filler or as ground cover.