As recorded for Kattupayar
Centrosema molle
Kattupayar / Soft Butterfly-Pea
- Habit
- Climber
- Found in India
- Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
- Flowering
- September-January
Kattupayar in regional languages
Find the name you know, then compare it with the botanical profile. Columns list recorded aliases; they are not paired translations. A Latin spelling appears only when it is present in the source record.
| Language | Regional script | Recorded Latin spelling |
|---|---|---|
| Malayalam | Not recorded | Kattupayar |
See the original recorded names
- Malayalam
- Kattupayar
Ecology & growing context
- Native status · Kew WCVP
- WCVP records it as introduced in Assam, India Kew dataset ↗
Kew WCVP dataset; accepted-name match. Dataset matching is separate from an individual regional review. Recorded worldwide native range: S. Mexico to Trop. America.
- Recorded habitat
- Deciduous forests and plains
- Explore nearby plants
- Kerala →Karnataka →Tamil Nadu →
Occurrence records show where a plant has been recorded; they do not establish that it is native there. Compare local habitat and growing conditions when choosing plants for a garden.
How to identify Kattupayar
Identify Kattupayar by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a climber habit.
- Confirm leaf type: Trifoliate (three leaflets).
- Confirm leaf surface: Glabrous (smooth, hairless).
- Confirm flower colour: Purple.
- Confirm fruit type: Legume.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: September-January.
- In India, compare location records such as Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu.
Plant Details
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- Trifoliate (three leaflets)recorded
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kattupayar itself; the rest are typical of the Fabaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- PurplerecordedPurple or violet
- Fruit type
- LegumerecordedA dry pod that splits open along two seams (typical of the pea/bean family).“Centrosema molle, the soft butterfly pea or spurred butterfly pea, is a perennial climbing herb in the legume family Fabaceae.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Inflorescence
- Raceme
- Fruit
- Legume
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kattupayar itself; the rest are typical of the Fabaceae family — flowering plants only.
About Kattupayar
Soft butterfly-pea (Centrosema molle) belongs to the Fabaceae family, where it grows as a climber. In India it has been recorded in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It grows in deciduous forests and plains. Flowering and fruiting run from September to January.
Fabaceae
Legume/Bean family
Kattupayar belongs to the Fabaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
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