Centrosema

Butterfly peas
Centrosema pubescens
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Faboideae
Tribe:	Phaseoleae
Subtribe:	Clitoriinae
Genus:	Centrosema (DC.) Benth.
Species
Several, see text.

Centrosema, the butterfly peas,^[1] is a genus of (mainly tropical) American vines in the legume family (Fabaceae). Species include:

• Centrosema angustifolium Benth.
• Centrosema arenarium Benth.
• Centrosema brasilianum (L.) Benth.
• Centrosema dasyanthum Benth.
• Centrosema macranthum Hoehne
• Centrosema macrocarpum
• Centrosema plumerii (Turp. ex Pres.) Benth.
• Centrosema pubescens Benth.
• Centrosema sagittatum (Willd.) Brad.
• Centrosema vexillatum Benth.
• Centrosema virginianum

Lepidopteran caterpillars that feed on butterfly peas include the two-barred flasher (Astraptes fulgerator), occasionally recorded on C. macrocarpum and C. plumieri at least.^[2]

Another plant referred to as butterfly pea from the same subtribe Clitoriinae is the related Clitoria ternatea. However it doesn't belong to the genus Centrosema.

See also

• Clitoria

Footnotes

1. USDA (2007)
2. Hébert et al. (2004), Brower et al. (2006)

References

• Brower, Andrew V.Z. (2006): Problems with DNA barcodes for species delimitation: ‘ten species’ of Astraptes fulgerator reassessed (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae). Systematics and Biodiversity 4(2): 127–132. doi:10.1017/S147720000500191X PDF fulltext
• Hébert, Paul D.N.; Penton, Erin H.; Burns, John M.; Janzen, Daniel H. & Hallwachs, Winnie (2004): Ten species in one: DNA barcoding reveals cryptic species in the semitropical skipper butterfly Astraptes fulgerator. PNAS 101(41): 14812-14817. doi:10.1073/pnas.0406166101 PDF fulltext Supporting Appendices
• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) (2007): USDA Plants Profile: Centrosema. Retrieved 2007-DEC-17.