Common Name: Spurred butterfly pea. Tamil Name: Kattupayar
Spurred butterfly pea is a twining herb of American origin. This plant is commonly found in the forest edges of Western Ghats. It is a dominant plant around Mukkali (Palakkad district) located near Silent valley. The plant twins around hedges and other nearby vegetation. The tri-foliate leaves are arranged in an alternate and spiral manner. The leafing nodes are far apart from each other: 13 cm apart. The leaf stalk and leaf measure around 5 cm and 6 cm respectively. The leaves are elliptical in shape with a rounded base and an acuminate tip. The inflorescence is in the form of an axillary raceme. The calyx is bell shaped, 3-4 mm in length and green in color. The flowers are rather flat and pea shaped (around 2.5 cm across). The petals are colored light to dark lilac in color. The flower has 10 stamens. The fruit is in the form of a pod which is around 8-9 cm in length. The pods are beaked and compressed. The pod encloses several seeds which are 1 cm long and brown in color.
