Two trailing vines with beautiful purple flowers are in bloom.
I’ve heard Clitoria mariana called pigeonwings and Centrosema virginianum called butterfly pea. Both are in the pea family, Fabaceae, although they are not in the same genus.
Both are trailing vines. They lack tendrils, so they twine around other plants to climb.
One distinguishing trait: Centrosema has a spur at the base of the petals that Clitoria lacks.
Common names for plants can be confusing, and some people call both plants butterfly peas — plain and spurred. I leave the common names to better-rooted Georgians.
I have mainly been admiring the flowers. But there’s also this: Frequently, the more I learn about the natural history of this new place I call home, the less certain I am of my identifications, my judgments, my conclusions.
Nan Shepherd said one of the advantages of getting to know a place is that it’s a “corrective of glib assessment.” We humans want to know everything immediately. Places are hard to learn. You can spend a lifetime trying.
• Sources: The Extension Service at North Carolina State University is a good source. Centrosema virginianum is here:
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/centrosema-virginianum/
Clitoria mariana is here:
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/clitoria-mariana/
This site has a discussion about distinguishing the two:
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