Clitoria ternatea

Butterfly pea, Blue pea, Asian pigeonwings, Cordofan Pea, Blue Vine, Mussel-shell Creeper

Spiritual Message by the Mother/ Quotes by Sri Aurobindo

Radha is the personification of the absolute love for the Divine, total and integral in all parts of the being from the highest spiritual to the physical, bringing the absolute self-giving and total consecration of all the being and calling down into the body and the most material Nature the supreme Ananda.Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Yoga - II: Bhakti Yoga and VaishnavismKrishna is the divine Flute-player, the immanent and universal Divine who is the supreme power of attraction; and the soul, the psychic personality is Radha, who responds to the call of the Flute-player.The Mother, Questions and Answers 1956: 18 July 1956******At last I find a meaning of soul's birthInto this universe terrible and sweet,I who have felt the hungry heart of earthAspiring beyond heaven to Krishna's feet.I have seen the beauty of immortal eyes,And heard the passion of the Lover's flute,And known a deathless ecstasy's surpriseAnd sorrow in my heart for ever mute.Nearer and nearer now the music draws,Life shudders with a strange felicity;All Nature is a wide enamoured pauseHoping her lord to touch, to clasp, to be.For this one moment lived the ages past;The world now throbs fulfilled in me at last.Sri Aurobindo, Collected Poems: KrishnaAll music is only the sound of His laughter,All beauty the smile of His passionate bliss;Our lives are His heart-beats, our rapture the bridalOf Radha and Krishna, our love is their kiss.Sri Aurobindo, Collected Poems: WhoO Thou whom at first sight I knew for the Lord of my being and my God, receive my offering.Thine are all my thoughts, all my emotions, all the sentiments of my heart, all my sensations, all the movements of my life, each cell of my body, each drop of my blood. I am absolutely and altogether Thine, Thine without reserve. What Thou wilt of me, that I shall be. Whether Thou choosest for me life or death, happiness or sorrow, pleasure or suffering, all that comes to me from Thee will be welcome. Each one of Thy gifts will be always for me a gift divine bringing with it the supreme Felicity.Sri Aurobindo, The Mother with Letters on The Mother: Radha's Prayer

Colour

Most commonly deep blue; also found in white and pink

Varieties

Message of the Flower

Radha's Consciousness

The Mother’s Comment

Symbolises perfect attachment to the Divine.

Message of the Flower

Radha's Consciousness in the Vital

The Mother’s Comment

Perfect attachment to the Divine replaces all vital attractions and passions.

Message of the Flower

Krishna's Light in the Senses

The Mother’s Comment

A first step towards transformation.

Message of the Flower

Purified Senses

The Mother’s Comment

Can only be obtained by total surrender to the Truth.

Family

Fabaceae

Cultivars

Double Blue', 'White Pigeon', 'Blue Sails'

Person who named the flower

Carl Linnaeus

Flower Size

About 1.5 to 2 inches long

Flower Texture

Soft, delicate

Number of Petals

Five (one standard, two wings, and two fused into a keel)

Floral Symmetry

Bilateral

Fragrance of Flower

Mildly fragrant

Leaf Texture

Smooth

Leaf Arrangement

Alternate

Leaf Color

Green

Structural Variation (Shrub or Tree)

Vine or creeper

Life Cycle

Perennial in tropical climates, annual in cooler regions

Blooming Period

Throughout the year in tropical climates; summer to fall in temperate regions

Climate

Tropical and subtropical

Water Requirements

Moderate; drought-tolerant once established

Soil Type

Well-drained

Temperature Ranges

warm temperatures; not frost-tolerant

Sun or Shade

Full sun to partial shade

Susceptibility to Insects and Diseases

Generally pest-resistant; can occasionally be affected by aphids or leaf spot diseases

Pollinators

Attracts bees, butterflies, and birds

Habitat

Native to tropical Asia; widely cultivated in gardens and used in landscaping

Role in the Ecosystem

Nitrogen-fixing plant that improves soil fertility; provides nectar for pollinators

Ornamental

Widely grown as an ornamental plant for its striking blue flowers

Uses in Other Aspects of Life

Ornamental gardening, natural dye, culinary uses

Endangered Status

Not listed as endangered