Bunga Telang Putih – Clitoria ternatea alba

After successfully planting the blue clitoria ternatea or butterfly pea, last year I tried to plant the white variety I bought from an online seed seller.

This time I bought the double petals flower since the blue one I have earlier is the single petals. Malays call this flower, bunga telang. The blue one is commonly used in cooking nasi kerabu as the natural blue dye in the rice. I’m not sure what this white variety is used for, but from my research it is said to have more medicinal value than the blue one.

These are some info I gather from the Internet about bunga telang putih.

Genus: Clitoria
Species: ternatea
Variety: Double Flowered White
Family Name: Leguminosae/Fabaceae

Perfect vine! Blooms year-round, fast growing, easy, not invasive, controllable, not messy, curious bright blue flower – Clitoris-like flower shape, hence name of the plant. Fast-growing climber with fine foliage, pinnate leaves. Produces flat pods, up to 7″ long, beaked, with about 5 flat rounded seeds. Species: C. ternatea, C. mariana.

Besides being a great ornamental, this plant has some practical and medicinal value. The seed pods are edible, as well as the flowers. The flowers are used for blue food dye for rice and teas. It is also a nitrogen fixer and helps prevent E-coli.

As a legume, its roots form a symbiotic association with soil bacteria known as rhizobia, which transform atmospheric N2 into a plant usable form, therefore, this plant is also used to improve soil quality through the decomposition of N-rich tissue.

Allow pods to dry on plant; break open to collect seeds

This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds

(perennials plants: you plant them once and they bloom year after year)