Xylopodium: proximal portion horizontal, cylindric, 4–15 × 3–12 cm; distal portion 1+ m × 1.5–6 mm. Stems 1–4 from crown, trailing, to 150 cm, or erect to lax, apex sometimes twining, to 60 cm; internodes ± straight to weakly flexuous; branches few, primarily basal. Leaves: stipules lanceolate to lanceolate-ovate, 4–8 × 2–5 mm, apex acute; petiole subterete, often weakly to strongly canaliculate adaxially, 2–10 cm; stipels linear to subulate, 3–8 mm; petiolules 2–4 mm; rachis 1–2(–2.5) cm; leaflets 3, blades ovate, oblong-ovate, elliptic-oblong, lanceolate, lanceolate-ovate, oblong, or elliptic, 20–90(–115) × 10–40(–65) mm, thick membranous to thick papery, base broadly cuneate to subcordate, primary lateral veins 7–12 pairs, apex usually acute to obtuse, rarely short-acuminate or mucronate, surfaces glaucescent, glabrate or sparsely pubescent abaxially on major veins or moderately to densely piloso-sericeous, glabrate or uncinate-pubescent adaxially. Peduncles 1–4.5 cm (chasmogamous flowers) or 0.5–3 cm (cleistogamous flowers). Inflorescences 2(–4)-flowered, 1–5 cm, flowers cleistogamous and/or chasmogamous; bracts lanceolate, 3–4 × 1 mm. Pedicels 3–7 mm; bracteoles of chasmogamous flowers lance­olate to lanceolate-ovate, 4–9 × 2–3 mm, cleistogamous flowers 3–5 mm, apex acute, uncinate-pubescent. Chasmogamous flowers: calyx tube greenish, 10–14 × 3–5 mm at base becoming 5–8 mm wide; lobes ovate, 5–9 × 2.5–3.5 mm (at base, abaxial lobe 7–9 mm), apex short-acuminate; corolla blue to pale purplish; banner 40–60 mm, claw 5–8 mm; wing blades 21–24 × 5–10 mm, claw 7–12 mm; keel 8–13 × 3–5 mm, claw 14–21 mm; staminal tube 21–30 mm; filaments distinct, 2–4 mm; anthers lanceolate, 1–2 mm; ovary 7–9 mm, densely uncinate-pubescent; style 16–20 mm. Cleistogamous flowers: calyx tube 4–5 × 1–2 mm becoming 2 mm wide; lobes 2–3 mm; staminal tube 0.1 mm; ovary 5–6 mm; style 4–6 mm, bent backwards and in contact with anthers. Legumes brown, convex, 25–55(–70) × 6–9 mm; stipe 12–17 mm (5–10 mm in cleistogamous). Seeds 1–10, black, cuboidal to globular, 3–5 × 4–6 mm, viscid.

Distribution

se United States, n Mexico, Asia.

Discussion

Varieties 3 (2 in the flora).

Variety orientalis Fantz occurs in China, eastern India, Myanmar (Burma), and Thailand. It is character­ized as a vine with inflorescences bearing two to six slightly smaller flowers than those in the flora area and without cleistogamous flowers.

Clitoria mariana is cultivated for its showy chas­mogamous flowers. Plants in the wild grow as isolated individuals or in clusters.

Historically, Clitoria mariana has been misidentified as Centrosema virginianum, which is distinguished as a vine with a campanulate calyx bearing lobes that are narrow and longer than the tube, bracteoles that nearly hide the calyx, a spurred banner, wings subequal in length to the keel, and flat fruits with two marginal veins.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Clitoria mariana var. mariana, Clitoria mariana var. pubescentia

Key

1	Leaflet blades sparsely pubescent or glabrate abaxially, hairs scattered or confined to major veins; calyces glabrate, macrotrichomes sparse, scattered.	Clitoria mariana var. mariana
1	Leaflet blades moderately to densely pilose-sericeous abaxially, hairs suberect to erect, not widely scattered or confined to veins; calyces uncinate-pubescent or glabrate, macrotrichomes moderately dense to scattered.	Clitoria mariana var. pubescentia