Clitoria ternatea

Clitoria ternatea is a climbing plant of tropical Africa, indigenous to neighbouring Mozambique and Zimbabwe, but growing widespread as far north as Somalia. This plant also grows on the islands of Zanzibar and Mauritius. C. ternatea var. ternatea is one of three Clitoria naturalised exotics in South Africa.

This plant was photographed near Namacurra in the Zambezi Province of Mozambique. There is one species of the Clitoria genus growing naturally in Zimbabwe, two in East Africa.

The plants habitat is warm, dry bushveld or savannah, but it is often found near and better growing in damp spots.

The genus belongs to the Fabaceae family that comprises many climbers. Best known among them are probably some climbing beans seen in vegetable gardens worldwide (Blundell, 1987; Riley, 1963).