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Sweetscented Pigeonwings (Clitoria fragrans)

Clitoria fragrans

CREATIVECOMMONS Jim Duggan

 Photo Credit: Jim Duggan
  • Global Rank: G2 - Imperiled
  • Legal Status: Federally Threatened
  • Family: Fabaceae
  • State: FL
  • Nature Serve ID: 141904
  • Lifeform: Forb/herb
  • Date Inducted in National Collection: 08/26/2021
Description:

Clitoria fragrans Small (Fabaceae) is a state-endangered and federally threatened perennial herb found only in Florida, where it is narrowly distributed along the Lake Wales Ridge in Central Florida in fire-adapted upland xeric habitats. Anthropogenic activities that pose threats to populations of C. fragrans include habitat loss and fire suppression. Like many species that inhabit fire-prone landscapes, C. fragrans rebounds quickly and flowers prolifically following fire. It is quite remarkable to see these beautiful purple flowers dotted amongst the charred black landscape. Plants are small in stature (6-20 inches tall), with dark green to purplish erect stems and alternate bristle-tipped 3-leaflets (0.8-2 inches long). The flowers consist of a large purple banner petal and a keel adorned with two smaller winged petals. The small (1-2 inch long) fruits are constricted between the seeds giving the legumes a bumpy appearance. When the fruits ripen and dry, an internal mechanism twists the fruit open, ejecting the seeds from the parent plant. This seed dispersal mechanism is a shared trait of members in Fabaceae. It is an adaptation to disperse the seeds more widely than if they were just dispersed by gravity and serves to expand the population into new areas. Seeds of species of Clitoria also have another interesting feature: the seed coat is sticky. This feature may aid in dispersal, as it can easily make the seeds stick to animals, although its actual function remains a mystery.

Where is Sweetscented Pigeonwings (Clitoria fragrans) located in the wild?

States & Provinces:

Sweetscented Pigeonwings can be found in Florida

Which CPC Partners conserve Sweetscented Pigeonwings (Clitoria fragrans)?

  • Bok Tower Gardens

    Not Sponsored
    Conservation Actions
    Assigned 08/26/21
    • CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

    Conservation Actions

    Tina Stanley
    • 05/11/2023
      • Orthodox Seed Banking

    According to a March 2023 extract of the Florida Plant Rescue Database, Bok Tower Gardens holds 10 accessions of Clitoria fragrans totalling approximately 1817 seeds representing 40 maternal lines.

    Katie Heineman
    • 03/23/2022
      • Seed Collection

    Clitoria fragrans Small (Fabaceae) is a state-endangered and federally threatened perennial herb found only in Florida, where it is narrowly distributed along the Lake Wales Ridge in Central Florida in fire-adapted upland xeric habitats. Anthropogenic activities that pose threats to populations of C. fragrans include habitat loss and fire suppression. Like many species that inhabit fire-prone landscapes, C. fragrans rebounds quickly and flowers prolifically following fire. It is quite remarkable to see these beautiful purple flowers dotted amongst the charred black landscape.  

                  Plants are small in stature (6-20 inches tall), with dark green to purplish erect stems and alternate bristle-tipped 3-leaflets (0.8-2 inches long). The flowers consist of a large purple banner petal and a keel adorned with two smaller winged petals. The small (1-2 inch long) fruits are constricted between the seeds giving the legumes a bumpy appearance. When the fruits ripen and dry, an internal mechanism twists the fruit open, ejecting the seeds from the parent plant. This seed dispersal mechanism is a shared trait of members in Fabaceae. It is an adaptation to disperse the seeds more widely than if they were just dispersed by gravity and serves to expand the population into new areas. Seeds of species of Clitoria also have another interesting feature: the seed coat is sticky. This feature may aid in dispersal, as it can easily make the seeds stick to animals, although its actual function remains a mystery.

     

    Center for Plant Conservation
    • 08/26/2021
      • Orthodox Seed Banking

    Bok Tower Gardens plans to make a conservation seed collection of this species in 2021 as part of CPC’s inaugural season of the Florida Plant Rescue seed collections initiative.

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    Nomenclature
    Taxon Clitoria fragrans
    Authority Small
    Family Fabaceae
    CPC Number 449614
    ITIS 26541
    USDA CLFR2
    Duration Perennial
    Common Names Pigeonwings | Sweetscented Pigeonwings
    Associated Scientific Names Martiusia fragrans
    Distribution
    State Rank
    State State Rank
    Florida S2
    Ecological Relationships

    Photos

    Clitoria fragrans

    CREATIVECOMMONS Jim Duggan

    Photo Credit: Jim Duggan

    Photo Caption

    Photo Credit:

    Clitoria fragrans Small (Fabaceae) is a state-endangered and federally threatened perennial herb found only in Florida, where it is narrowly distributed along the Lake Wales Ridge in Central Florida in fire-adapted upland xeric habitats. Anthropogenic activities that pose threats to populations of C. fragrans include habitat loss and fire suppression. Like many species that inhabit fire-prone landscapes, C. fragrans rebounds quickly and flowers prolifically following fire. It is quite remarkable to see these beautiful purple flowers dotted amongst the charred black landscape. Plants are small in stature (6-20 inches tall), with dark green to purplish erect stems and alternate bristle-tipped 3-leaflets (0.8-2 inches long). The flowers consist of a large purple banner petal and a keel adorned with two smaller winged petals. The small (1-2 inch long) fruits are constricted between the seeds giving the legumes a bumpy appearance. When the fruits ripen and dry, an internal mechanism twists the fruit open, ejecting the seeds from the parent plant. This seed dispersal mechanism is a shared trait of members in Fabaceae. It is an adaptation to disperse the seeds more widely than if they were just dispersed by gravity and serves to expand the population into new areas. Seeds of species of Clitoria also have another interesting feature: the seed coat is sticky. This feature may aid in dispersal, as it can easily make the seeds stick to animals, although its actual function remains a mystery. Photo Credit: Whitney Costner

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