What is Butterfly Pea Flower?

Butterfly Pea Flower is the cut and sifted dried flower of Clitoria ternatea, a climbing perennial legume in the pea family (Fabaceae) native to Southeast Asia. The flowers are famous for brewing one of the most vividly colored infusions in the plant world.

About the plant

Butterfly Pea is native to tropical equatorial Asia, where the flowers have long been used across Thai, Malay, and Indonesian cooking as a natural food coloring, notably in blue rice dishes and desserts, and brewed as a tea. The deep blue color comes from ternatins, a class of anthocyanin pigments that shift hue with pH. A neutral infusion is deep blue; adding an acid such as lemon turns it purple and then pink, while alkaline conditions shift it toward green. The flavor is very mild and the tea is naturally caffeine-free.

Butterfly Pea Flower: form & sizes

We carry Butterfly Pea Flower as cut and sifted dried flowers, sold by weight in sizes from 1 oz to 1 lb. We make no health or therapeutic claims.

Storage

Store Butterfly Pea Flower in an airtight container, away from heat, light, and humidity, to preserve its color and aroma.

Butterfly Pea Flower at a glance

Botanical name

Clitoria ternatea

Family

Fabaceae

Native region

Southeast Asia

Plant part

flowers

Also known as

Blue Pea, Anchan

Color behavior

Deep blue, shifting to purple and pink with acid

Form

cut and sifted dried flowers

Sizes

1 oz to 1 lb