Clitoria
Tree, shrub, herbaceous and woody climber, solitary to many-flowered, compound leaves, (1-, 3-, 5- to 7-foliate), Flower, zygomorphic, papilionaceous, resupinate, calyx naked inside, without gland, standard without spur, style terete.
Many species of Clitoria are endemic and some of them are endangered and threatened on global and regional scales. For example, a critically endangered Clitoria is Clitoria andrei which is endemic to Ecuador and which has not been recorded in more than 100 years after the type specimens were collected in Guayaquil’s forest. It seems that the species could be extinct. Endangered species, also found in Ecaudor, include C. brachystegia distributed in dry coastal forest and known only from seven localities (Neill and Pitman 2004 ). An American endangered species, C. fragrans, is only found in Florida (Weaver and Anderson 2010). Two native species to Peru are vulnerable; C. moyobambensis and C. woytkowskii. Moreover, many Clitoria species are classified in the category of least concern in the IUCN red lists; C. hanceana, C. kaessneri, C. polystachya and C. sagoti (IUCN 2014). Many Clitoria species are cultivated because they have showy flowers and some have medicinal and economic properties (Fantz 1991).
Many species of Clitoria were used to medicinal, ornamental plants and also used , young leaves and young pods edible, flowers used to coloring in foods and drinks.
Tree, shrub, herbaceous and woody climber, Leaves 1- to 11-foliate, usually 3-foliate, stipellate leaflets and persistent membranous small stipules and bracts and large bracteoles. Calyx membranous, tubular; teeth deltoid or lanceolate. Corolla much exserted; standard spoon-shaped, very large; wings and incurved keel much shorter. Stamens monadelphous or diadelphous; anthers uniform. Ovary stalked, many-ovuled; style incurved, flattened, bearded along the inner side. Pod linear, flattish or turgid. Pollen, zonopcolpate (3-porate), psilate.
The Clitorinae clade was separated from the main Phaseoloid legumes and could estimate divergence times on phylogeny that they originated around Miocene period (10 mya) (Li, et al. 2013).
Clitoria members is equally pantropical distribution; mainly in South America, Central and North America, Africa, Asia and Australia.