Kattupayar / Soft Butterfly-Pea
Centrosema molle
- Habit
- Climber
- Found in India
- Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
- Flowering
- September-January
Plant Details
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- Trifoliate (three leaflets)recorded
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
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
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Raceme
- Fruit
- Legume
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kattupayar itself; the rest are typical of the Fabaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Malayalam
- Kattupayar
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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