noun
1. vine of tropical Asia having pinnate leaves and bright blue flowers with yellow centers
• Syn: ↑blue pea, ↑Clitoria turnatea
• Hypernyms: ↑vine
2. large-flowered wild twining vine of southeastern and central United States having pale blue flowers
• Syn: ↑Clitoria mariana
• Hypernyms: ↑vine
• Member Holonyms: ↑Clitoria, ↑genus Clitoria
3. large-flowered weakly twining or prostrate vine of New Jersey to tropical eastern North America, sometimes cultivated for its purple and white flowers
• Syn: ↑Centrosema virginianum
• Hypernyms: ↑vine
• Member Holonyms: ↑Centrosema, ↑genus Centrosema
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noun : any of several large-flowered wild peas of the closely related genera Clitoria and Centrosema: as
a. : a common twining vine (Clitoria mariana) of the southeastern and central United States with pale blue 2-inch flowers having very large standards
b. : a weakly twining to prostrate vine (Centrosema virginianum) occurring from New Jersey to tropical eastern No. America and sometimes cultivated for its purple and white flowers
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any of several leguminous plants of the genus Clitoria, as C. mariana, of North America, having pale-blue flowers.
[1855-60, Amer.]
Useful english dictionary. 2012.