Botanical description of Clitoria ternatea (Sangu pushpam)

Botanical description of Clitoria ternatea (Sangu pushpam)

Habit: Twining climber

Root: Branched tap root system having nodules.

Stem: Aerial, weak stem and a twiner

Leaf: Imparipinnately compound, alternate, stipulate showing reticulate venation. Leaflets are stipellate. Petiolate and stipels are pulvinated.

Inflorescence: Solitary and axillary

Flower: Bracteate, bracteolate, bracteoles usuallylarge,pedicellate,heterochlamydeous, complete, bisexual, pentamerous, zygomor-phic and hypogynous.

Calyx: Sepals 5, synsepalous, green showing valvate aestivation. Odd sepal is anterior in position.

Corolla: Petals 5, white or blue apopetalous, irregular papilionaceous corolla showing descendingly imbricate aestivation.

Androecium: Stamens 10, diadelphous (9)+1 nine stamens fused to form a bundle and the tenth stamen is free. Anthers are dithecous, basifixed, introse and dechiscing by longitudinal slits.

Gynoecium: Monocarpellary, uni-locular, with many ovules on mariginal ­placentation, ovary superior, style simple and incurved with feathery stigma.

Fruit: Legume

Seed: Non-endospermous, reniform.