butterfly pea

noun

: any of several large-flowered wild peas of the closely related genera Clitoria and Centrosema: such as

a

: a common twining vine (Clitoria mariana) of the southeastern and central U.S. with pale blue 2-inch flowers having very large standards

b

: a weakly twining to prostrate vine (Centrosema virginianum) occurring from New Jersey to tropical eastern North America and sometimes cultivated for its purple and white flowers

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