Atlantic Pigeonwings (Clitoria mariana)

Quick Facts

• Type: vine
• Size: trailing 3-6 ft
• Sun: part
• Water: low
• Soil: Sandy, well-drained soils
• USDA zones: 8-10

Pale blue-violet pea flowers on a delicate trailing vine in summer.

A subtle woodland-edge plant; pretty threading through low shrubs or over a rock.

In the Landscape

A low, well-mannered vine for sunny borders, rock gardens, and native groundcover plantings. Lovely spilling over a low wall.

Care & Propagation

Plant in spring in full sun and well-drained sand. It stays compact and needs little support. Cut back in late winter; it returns reliably in spring.

Sow seed in spring after scarifying, or take cuttings in summer. Pods ripen in fall — collect them before they split.

Wildlife Value

Pea-family flowers feed native bees, and the foliage hosts skipper butterfly caterpillars. Seeds in the flat pods feed small songbirds.

🌱 Fun fact: The genus name Clitoria made Victorian botanists blush so hard that some tried to rename it — but the name stuck, and the pale blue flowers are genuinely lovely once you get past the giggling.

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🌴 In Florida

A subtle woodland-edge plant; pretty threading through low shrubs or over a rock.

🌿 Keep exploring

More Florida natives worth meeting:

• American Wisteria (Wisteria frutescens)
• Beach Morning Glory (Ipomoea imperati)
• Carolina Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens)