Vines and Climbing Plants of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

Vines and Climbing Plants of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands 253
Key to the species of Clitoria
1a. Leaves 3-foliolate; corolla light yellow, white, or white with lilac lines; legumes obtusely
quadrangular; seeds sticky ……………...…………………………………….. 1. C. falcata
1b. Leaves 5-7-foliolate; corolla blue-violet; legumes flattened; seeds not sticky
………………………………………………………………………………...2. C. ternatea
1. Clitoria falcata Lam., Encycl. Méth. Bot. 2:
51. 1786.
Fig. 101. A-C
SYNONYMS: Clitoria rubiginosa Juss.
Martiusia rubiginosa (Juss.) Britton
Ahoga gallina, Conchitas, Flor de pito
Slightly woody vine, twining, attainig 5 m in
length. Stems slender, flexible, tomentose,
glabrescent when mature. Leaves alternate,
trifoliolate; leaflets coriaceous, 2.2-9 × 1.2-4.5 cm,
elliptical, ovate, or lanceolate, the apex acute or
obtuse, mucronate, sometimes retuse, the base
obtuse or rounded, the margins smooth, revolute;
upper surface dark green, dull, with the venation
pale green, glabrous; lower surface sericeous, with
prominent venation; stipels lanceolate, ca. 7 mm
long, pubescent; petiolules minute, ferruginoustomentose,
thickened; rachis 0.5-1.5 cm long,
ferruginous-tomentose; petioles ferruginoustomentose,
4-6 cm long, with the base thickened;
stipules elliptical or ovate, ca. 7 mm long, with
notable parallel veins. Inflorescences of axillary
cymes with 2-4 flowers at the end of a peduncle,
tomentose, 2-11 cm long; bracts hirsutulous, ca.
8 mm long, oblong, green, with notable parallel
veins; pedicels ca. 4 mm long, tomentose. Calyx
campanulate, yellowish green, the tube 12-16 mm
long, the lobes deltate, 7-12 mm long; corolla pale
yellow or white with pale violet lines, the standard
rounded, ca. 5 cm long, plicate, retuse, with violet
or cardinal red lines on the central portion inside,
the wings and keels ca. 2 cm long, longer than
wide. Legume 4-6 cm long, pubescent, oblong,
obtusely quadrangular, with a rib along each of
the valves, the apex acuminate. The seeds 4-6 per
fruit, almost spherical, ca. 3 mm in diameter,
covered with a sticky, gelatinous matrix.
Phenology: Flowering and fruiting from
September to January.
Status: Native, relatively common.
Distribution: In disturbed areas such as
pastures, fences, and along trails, at middle and
lower elevations. Native to tropical America;
introduced in western Africa.
Public Forests: El Yunque and Río Abajo.
Commentary: Fantz (1990) recognizes two
varieties belonging to this species, of which only
the typical variety is found in Puerto Rico. Within
this variety he recognizes two forms based on
characters of the fruit, which are found in Puerto
Rico. Clitoria falcata var. falcata f. falcata
possesses legumes with ribs that extend along the
length of the valves, while in C. falcata var.
falcata f. heteromorpha (Griseb.) Fantz the ribs
are absent or extend along at most 2/3 of the length
of the valve.
2. Clitoria ternatea L., Sp. Pl. 753. 1753.
Fig. 101. D-H
Bejuco de conchitas, Papitos, Deleite,
Conchitas, Blue vine, Butterfly pea
Woody vine, twining, attainig 1-3 m in length.
Stems slender, cylindrical, with lines of minute
trichomes. Leaves alternate, 5-7-foliolate; leaflets
opposite, 1.5-4.5 × 1-3.5 cm, elliptical or less
frequently ovate or oblong, chartaceous, the apex
rounded, obtuse, sometimes retuse or mucronate,
the base obtuse, the margins entire; upper surface
dark green, dull, puberulent, with the midvein
sunken; lower surface pale green, dull, puberulent,
with prominent venation; rachis 2-7 cm long;
petiolules minute, pubescent; petioles 2-4 cm long,
pubescent, with the base thickened; stipels
filiform, ca. 1.5 mm long; stipules lanceolate,
pubescent, ca. 4 mm long. Flowers solitary, on
short peduncles; pedicel ca. 1 cm long, pubescent,
with a pair of bracteoles in the middle. Calyx
campanulate, 1.5-2.2 cm long, green, puberulent,
the lobes lanceolate-ovate, 8-10 mm long, with
the midvein conspicuous; corolla blue-violet, the
standard broadly ovate, 3.5-5 cm long, retuse, with
the base pale yellow and the center pale yellow
inside. Legume 9-11 × ca. 1 cm, oblong, ribbed