Clitoria ternatea (commonly known as Asian pigeonwings, bluebellvine, blue pea, butterfly pea, Aparajita, Shankupushpam etc.) –
Fabaceae, is an important medicinal plant, forage crop, grown as an ornamental, extensively used in Poojaa as it is considered a holy flower. The flowers of this vine were imagined to have the shape of human female genitals, hence the Latin name of the genus “Clitoria”, from “clitoris”. The species name is thought to derive from the city of Ternate in the Indonesian archipelago, from where Linnaeus’s specimens originated.
Surendra Parihar