Butterfly Pea (Clitoria mariana)

Photographic Location: AEDC in Manchester, TN.

This is a member of the Bean or Pea family (Fabaceae). It is also known as Atlantic Pigeonwings. 

Twining vine, occasionally erect, with large, showy, lavender-pink, pea-like flowers, usually solitary but occasionally up to 3, in the axils of compound leaves.

This plant is often confused with Spurred Butterfly Pea (Centrosema virginianum), which has upside-down flowers, the banner pointing downward, while that of Clitoria stands erect. 

For more information about this wildflower, Click Here. 

As a footnote, this genus was named after the human female genitals in 1678 by Rumpf, a German-born botanist employed by the Dutch East India Company. There were controversies in the past among botanists regarding the good taste of the naming of the genus, but they didn't prosper and the name Clitoria has survived to this day. You have to watch those frisky botanists!