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Plants

butterfly pea

Clitoria ternatea

Family: Fabaceae · Genus: Clitoria

Asian pigeonwings

Placenta I Ground cover Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixer
Suyash.dwivedi · CC BY-SA · Wikimedia Commons

A perennial herbaceous climbing legume able to fix up to 100 kg N per hectare per year in symbiosis with Rhizobium. Used as a high-value forage (protein comparable to alfalfa), green manure and ground cover, it quickly covers the soil once established. Drought-tolerant and adapted to marginal soils, it is a versatile creeping cover legume for intercrops.

Götsch succession

Götsch stage
Placenta I
Ecological role
Pioneer
Primary stratum
Ground cover
Strata
Ground cover, Low
Biomass class
Fertilizer biomass

Environment

Light requirement
Full sun
Water requirement
Moderate
Drought tolerance
High
Waterlogging tolerance
Low
Soil pH range
5.5–8.5
Preferred soil texture
Loamy, Clayey, Sandy
Hardiness zones
10–11

Morphology

Mature height
0.3–2 m
Recommended spacing
0.15–0.5 m
Root system
Taproot
Root depth
Deep
Growth rate
Fast
Lifespan
5–14 years
Time to first harvest
2 months
Productive lifespan
5 years

Biomes & climate

Köppen classes

Where it fits in a guild

Butterfly pea takes the Ground cover stratum in the Placenta I phase of succession — in a guild it shares the line with species from the other strata, each harvesting light at its own height, in its own time. It also fixes nitrogen, feeding the soil for its line neighbors.

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Emergent High Medium Low Ground cover · ≈2 m

🪴 Cultivation

A climbing/creeping vine that benefits from a support or companion grass; established by seed and covers the soil quickly. Good intercropped with grasses for nitrogen input.

✂️ Management & Pruning

It does not coppice — a herbaceous climbing/creeping legume that regrows from the woody base and stem tips, sensitive to cutting too low or too often and to trampling. It establishes ground cover in 30–40 days; graze/cut lightly in the establishment year and use heavier rotational defoliation thereafter. For chop-and-drop / living mulch, the optimum cutting interval is ~56 days at 5–10 cm height for maximum dry matter. Regrowth is vigorous in the warm wet season; allow periodic seed-set for persistence.

📅 Phenology

Flowering months: December, January, February, March

Fruiting months: January, February, March, April

❓ Frequently asked questions

How long until the first harvest of butterfly pea?

The first harvest of butterfly pea comes around 2 months after planting.

What spacing is recommended for butterfly pea?

The recommended spacing for butterfly pea is 0.15–0.5 m.

How tall does butterfly pea grow?

At maturity, butterfly pea reaches 0.3–2 m tall.

When does butterfly pea fruit?

Fruiting of butterfly pea occurs in January, February, March, April.

When does butterfly pea flower?

Flowering of butterfly pea occurs in December, January, February, March.

What stage and stratum does butterfly pea occupy in a syntropic system?

In a syntropic system, butterfly pea belongs to the placenta i stage, occupying the ground cover stratum.

Does butterfly pea fix nitrogen?

Yes — butterfly pea is a nitrogen-fixing species that helps fertilize the system's soil.

Functions

🌱 Nitrogen fixer 🌿 Biomass producer Ground cover Fodder 🐝 Attracts pollinators Ornamental Medicinal Dye

Propagation

Seed

Citations

  1. Frontiers in Plant Science 2019 — Butterfly Pea (Clitoria ternatea), a Cyclotide-Bearing Plant (nitrogen_fixer, functions, gotsch_stage, biomass_class)
  2. Feedipedia — Butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea) (drought_tolerance, ph_min, ph_max, height_min_m, height_max_m, propagation, pruning_notes, time_to_first_harvest_months, waterlogging_tolerance)
  3. Tropical Forages — Clitoria ternatea (pruning_notes, lifespan_years_min, lifespan_years_max, time_to_first_harvest_months, waterlogging_tolerance, ph_min, ph_max, spacing_min_m, spacing_max_m, phenology)
  4. PFAF Plant Database — Clitoria ternatea (hardiness_zone_min, hardiness_zone_max, ph_min, ph_max)
  5. iPlantz — Clitoria ternatea (root_depth)
  6. Plants of the World Online (POWO), Kew (scientific_name, powo_id)

External references

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