Blue pea vine

Anyone have a picture of a blue pea vine? I've planted seeds but not sure what it looks like. Thanks all.

Here is a good picture of this beauty.

http://www.botany.utoronto.ca/courses/BOT307/Carr-vascular/images/cli_ter.jpg

Here is one of mine


edited to say that I got to wondering after I posted if perhaps it was the vine itself you were wanting to see, to id your seedlings. If thats the case, here is a link that will show you the foliage.
http://www.australiaplants.com/Clitoria.jpg


This message was edited Dec 18, 2005 11:40 AM

Thank you so much, I am so glad that I have this one!

weegy12~

There is a gorgeous double one too.

http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/53443/

Robert.

Can you tell me where to buy these? Also, what's the botanical name? I've wanted one for a long time and just haven't gotten any seeds...
thanks, Hilary

You know I hear they come in pink too...what is that web site...its somebodies name like "Renee's Garden" but not Renee.......let me think....the white and pink was there too, kinda expensive seed. 5 or 6 or 7 dollars.

The deep blue one above is Clitoria ternatea, and the double one is C. ternatea "plena" and was once available from Thompson and Morgan under the name "Blue Sails", but they haven't offered it for a coupla years.

The US native Clitoria mariana (lavender-blue) Butterfly pea:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1838/index.html

There is a US native (pink-lavender) climbing butterfly pea: Centrosema virginianum
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/2028/index.html

You can check the trades section here at Dave's or Google (or other) for places on the web. Sometimes they're to be had on eBay.

You might also like the double white Clitoria "White Lady" from
www.rhshumway.com (very reasonably priced)

Robert.

edited re: color of blooms.

This message was edited Jan 9, 2006 8:51 PM

Hilary, Several people are selling the seed for Clitoria ternatea on EBay.

Hilary, Bonnies Greenhouse had the plants last year. She may still have some plants/seeds. Since she is in Bellmead she would not be far from you.

Patsy

Thanks Patsy.. I'll check there. I think I'll be able to find it now since I know the official name. I saw one at Antique Rose Emporium and loved it. They also had the blue Black eyed Susan. Thumbergia Grandiflora.. beautiful vine. They're tender zone 10 so I'll have to save seeds for sure. Thanks everyone for your help.
Hilary

The Thunbergia Grandiflora was evergreen for me here in zone 9 so you may not have a problem with it. Even if it dies back it should still come back up from the roots for you.
This site calls it an evergreen in zones 8-11
http://www.floridata.com/ref/t/thun_gra.cfm

But be aware that it is a very big & agressive vine. I got tired of cutting mine back every week and since it only bloomed once a year for me, I finally decided it was not worth all the work. But cuttings are very very easy to start, just allow about 8 weeks for them to root. :~)

These are so gorgeous, can't wait til mine start flowering!

hilary--I've got seeds of the blue--dmail me.

I have lots of seeds for white clitoria if anyone needs them. I also have a few double blue seeds.

Susie, I'd love to have a few of each. Thanks.

OK Ada, I'll send them to you.

Calalily, I would love some of you blue seeds, and some of the white, if you still have any, Thanks, Krispi

Yes, I have lots of white and just picked some more blue. The blue doesn't make nearly as many seeds as the white.

that's strange Susie because the single blue makes tons of seeds

Donna, maybe that's it. The white is single, the blue is double.

Calalily, What do I need to do, I am more than happy to send you a stamped add. envelope, for you to send the seeds in. Thanks, Krispy

dmj1218, do you have the double blues, or single? It really doesn't matter, I would love to have some of them. I can send you the self add. stamped envelope, thanks, Krispi

Krispi, I am in the address exchange or you can d-mail me for the addy, sasbe will be fine.

during a discussion of eatting flowers... a grower in Thailand said they used these blue flowers in a rice dish to turn the rice blue... interesting thought .... when they get blooming again this year ... I think I'll try it... Gordon

Interesting note about the rice.

I dried a batch of the flowers once. When I later steeped them in water, the water was reddish, not blue. If you look at the flowers with UV blockers, they appear red-violet, not blue.

I'm not saying they won't dye rice blue. I'm thinking they use the petals whole to give a blue look.
It's a strange thing about blue pigment in nature. For instance, there isn't any blue pigment in the feathers of a bluebird or bluejay. It's all due to light refraction. Weird and amazing.

Robert.

Robert..
the following is the qoute posted of the rice..it seems to be blue in malasia..
Clitoria/butterfly bean (to give the colour of the blue rice

GordonHawk~

See if you can get more details: how it's prepared etc. and maybe some pix.
Sounds yummy and delicious.

Robert.

OK Robert.. I asked...
I was asked how it was done... and..
I said... I guess you throw a few flowers into the rice as it is being cooked... but that I had no real idea just how it was really done.. and I heard:
That's how they cook the blue rice here (a recipe of a state close to Malaysia/Thai border).
So Robert... that's the way they make it.. as with alot of things... it's no small wonder when you've got it..
If I was served a bunch of bule rice as I toured through that little state up by the Malaysia / Thai border.. I'd be truely in wonder ... but now I know... ot to get my seeds startted If I want some blue rice... or perhaps some blue noodle soup.. or maybe juiced out and blended into some Vanilla Haagendas ..with more Vanilla..and strawberry ice cream to make red, white and blue treats ... Gordon

Gordon~

Thanks for checking it out.

I found a lot of info on the net about blue rice and other blue-hued foods, but little about the actual technique of how to do it. Those who described it seemed to be reporting what they heard rather than what they knew, (They hadn't actually extracted the dye from "bunga telang" (C. ternatea). (Google ("bunga telang".))

Seems as though the modern cook resorts to packaged dyes nowadays as the old traditional way is just too involved and there's also the scarcity of the dried blooms to be bought and so many cna't or don't grow their own.

Most sources say the dried blooms (in very large amounts for normal amounts of rice) are boiled in just enough water to cover. One source added lime juice. (There was more to the article but you had to subscribe to a trial offer to read it. I didn't.) One source described the dye as a "methanolic extract" , meaning that wood alcohol is used. That's scary as wood alcohol is toxic....... I guess in the amount used to extract, it isn't deadly, but I wish there was more to that article to explain more fully.

I found some products perporting to be extracts of Clitoria and some products that were clearly another dye. One site described a food dyed with the blossoms but said the color was so muddy that the chose not to show it. :-(

So, I am now convinced that some sort blue stain or dye can come from Clitoria ternatea blooms and I plan to experiment with this seasons blossoms later on.

BTW: There is a packaged Japanese product to dye rice bright blue to help dieters not eat a lot of it. They say it works because the mind associates the blue color with "not good to eat".

Robert.