Clitoria ternatea 'Double Blue'

Edible flower and pod, popular for colouring dishes and tea... Luckily, more and more enthusiasts are discovering this beautiful climbing plant! After a strong growth spurt, it produces an abundance of deep blue, 5 cm large flowers in summer. These have an elegant saucer shape, with two saucers on top of each other, a yellow throat and a blue protrusion at the top of the throat. The flowers and the pods (after flowering) are edible, but removing them promotes reblooming. Grown in a large pot, the plant can overwinter in a cool place. Give the plant a sunny to slightly shaded spot and enjoy! In Asia, rice is coloured blue with the dye from the blue Clitoria! Add a few flowers to a glass of boiled water or other drink for an attractive blue colour. As a tea, it tastes a bit like black tea and has a mild flavour; steep for 10 to 15 minutes. When you mix the flowers with something acidic (e.g., lime or lemon), it turns purple. For an extra special effect, you can make ice cubes in the two colours and add them to a (non-alcoholic) cocktail or vodka. This way, you'll steal the show with a funky blue and/or purple cocktail (last text from www.the-art-of-tea-herbs-spices.nl)

Names:
Latin: Clitoria ternatea
Dutch: Vlindererwtje
Also known as: Kittelbloem
English: Butterfly Pea