# Butterfly Pea (*centrosema virginianum*) Centrosema virginianum, commonly known as the spurred butterfly pea, is a delicate and attractive perennial climbing vine native to the pine barrens, sandy coastal zones, and open woodlands of the Americas. As a member of the legume family (Fabaceae), this resilient plant is celebrated for its intricate, lavender-to-violet orchid-like flowers and its crucial ecological role as a nitrogen fixer, which naturally enriches the nutrient-poor soils in which it thrives. Beyond its visual appeal, the spurred butterfly pea provides essential ecosystem services. It acts as an invaluable nectar source for native pollinators, particularly heavy-bodied bees capable of manipulating its specialized flower petals, and serves as a vital host plant for several butterfly caterpillars. Its climbing habit allows it to weave through surrounding grasses and shrubs, adding pops of vibrant color to sunny, dry landscapes. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 3 - **Habitat:** Typically found in dry, sandy soils within open pine flatwoods, coastal dunes, oak scrub, and disturbed roadsides. ![Butterfly Pea](https://static.inaturalist.org/photos/162945962/medium.jpg) ## Appearance This climbing or trailing vine features slender, slightly hairy stems that can reach up to 200 cm in length. Its compound leaves consist of three narrow, oval-to-lanceolate leaflets. The most distinctive feature is the inverted (resupinate) flower, measuring about 3 to 4 cm across, which is predominantly pale violet, lavender, or light blue with a white and purple-striped throat. A small spur is located on the back of the broad upper petal (the banner), and the plant eventually produces long, flat, narrow seedpods that twist open when dry. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Fabales - **Family:** Fabaceae - **Genus:** Centrosema ## Interesting facts - Because it hosts nitrogen-fixing bacteria, this plant serves as a natural fertilizer, restoring soil quality in degraded or sandy ecosystems. - Its flowers are resupinate, meaning they develop upside down so that the stigmas and stamens point downward, brushing pollen onto the backs of foraging bees. - The common name 'spurred butterfly pea' comes from the small, spur-like projection on the back of its large banner petal. ## Special abilities - **Atmospheric Nitrogen Fixation:** Symbiotic rhizobium bacteria housed in its root nodules convert atmospheric nitrogen into a usable plant nutrient, allowing it to flourish in sterile, sandy soils. - **Resupinate Flowering:** The flowers grow upside-down compared to typical legumes, positioning the heavy banner petal at the bottom to act as a landing platform for robust pollinators. - **Explosive Seed Dispersal:** Upon reaching maturity, the elongated seedpods dry out and build tension, eventually splitting open rapidly and twisting to fling seeds several feet away. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 50-200 cm - **Lifespan:** 2-7 years ## Diet & Feeding As a photoautotrophic plant, it produces its own energy through photosynthesis using sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, and soil minerals. - **Primary Foods:** Sunlight, Carbon dioxide, Water, Soil minerals ## Ecological connections - **Host plant:** [Long-tailed Skipper](https://www.snappit.app/explore/long-tailed-skipper) (*Urbanus proteus*) — The caterpillars feed on the leaves of the vine as their primary food source. - **Mutualism:** [Eastern Carpenter Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-carpenter-bee) (*Xylocopa virginica*) — Acts as a primary pollinator, possessing the strength required to pry open the heavy petals to reach nectar. - **Eaten by:** [Northern Bobwhite](https://www.snappit.app/explore/northern-bobwhite) (*Colinus virginianus*) — This bird frequently consumes the highly nutritious seeds scattered by the plant. ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low No special safety notes yet. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Butterfly Pea? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Butterfly Pea? 50-200 cm ### How long does Butterfly Pea live? 2-7 years ### What does Butterfly Pea eat? As a photoautotrophic plant, it produces its own energy through photosynthesis using sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, and soil minerals. ### Where is Butterfly Pea usually found? Typically found in dry, sandy soils within open pine flatwoods, coastal dunes, oak scrub, and disturbed roadsides. ## Where to spot - [Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/alfred-b-maclay-gardens-state-park) — Florida, US · Botanical Garden - [Locust Grove State Historic Site](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/locust-grove-state-historic-site) — Louisiana, US · Nature Reserve - [Caldwell Street Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/caldwell-street-historic-district) — South Carolina, US · Historic District - [Harrell Prairie Botanical Area](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/harrell-prairie-botanical-area) — Mississippi, US · Botanical Garden [View all places to see Butterfly Pea](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/butterfly-pea) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Butterfly Pea: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/butterfly-pea)