Flower profile

Butterfly pea

Centrosema virginianum

Native in the lower 48

Butterfly pea is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 6 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–September.

18states

6of our state lists

13,830U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina

Quick look

Centrosema virginianum is known by the common names of spurred butterfly pea, wild blue vine, blue bell, and wild pea. C. virginianum is a member of the family Fabaceae, it is identified by its trailing and twining vine and showy flowers. C. virginianum habitats are in sunny areas within pine lands, and coastal uplands.
From Wikipedia's article Centrosema virginianum, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Fabaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a vine with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 18 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi and Louisiana. ^NatureServe
In Florida, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–October. ^iNaturalist
In Georgia, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–September. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 4,488 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #48 among the 110 flowers on our Florida list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,524 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #46 among the 111 flowers on our Georgia list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,339 research-grade sightings of it in Alabama, ranking #29 among the 111 flowers on our Alabama list. ^iNaturalist

Butterfly pea gift ideas

Handmade butterfly pea gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

Placeholder

Butterfly pea art print
Gift pick coming soon
Placeholder

Butterfly pea greeting card
Gift pick coming soon
Placeholder

Butterfly pea mug
Gift pick coming soon
Placeholder

Butterfly pea earrings
Gift pick coming soon
Placeholder

Butterfly pea embroidery pattern
Gift pick coming soon
Placeholder

Butterfly pea sticker
Gift pick coming soon

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2,299 records)

Bloom time in each of our 6 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Florida	Native	April–October	4,488
Georgia	Native	June–September	1,524
Alabama	Native	May–September	1,339
South Carolina	Native	June–September	1,033
Mississippi	Native	May–September	618
Louisiana	Native	May–September	541

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Florida: Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Florida. ^{FAC 5B-40.0055}
Georgia: Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Georgia. ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
Alabama: No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alabama.
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Carolina.
Mississippi: No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Mississippi.
Louisiana: No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Louisiana.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: DE (SH), KY (S1), MD (S2), MO (SH), NJ (SH). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records butterfly pea in 18 states.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia.

Florida counties with USDA records: Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Holmes, Indian River, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Okaloosa, Orange, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, St. Lucie, Sumter, Suwannee, Union, Volusia, Walton.

Georgia counties with USDA records: Barrow, Bartow, Ben Hill, Brooks, Camden, Chatham, Cherokee, Clarke, Cook, Coweta, Dawson, Echols, Elbert, Emanuel, Forsyth, Franklin, Fulton, Gilmer, Glynn, Houston, Jasper, Jones, Lanier, Lee, Liberty, Lincoln, Lowndes, Madison, Marion, McIntosh, Morgan, Peach, Randolph, Spalding, Stephens, Talbot, Taliaferro, Taylor, Telfair, Thomas, Tift, Wayne, Wilkes, Worth.

Alabama counties with USDA records: Autauga, Baldwin, Bibb, Greene, Hale, Lee, Mobile, Perry, Pickens, Tuscaloosa.

More Florida flowers

White clover

Trifolium repens

Introduced

🌼 Blooms: March–September

Red clover

Trifolium pratense

★ VT state flowerIntroduced

🌼 Blooms: May–October

Eastern redbud

Cercis canadensis

Native

🌼 Blooms: February–May

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CEVI2.
iNaturalist, Centrosema virginianum: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Centrosema virginianum (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Florida: Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055).
Florida: Florida Noxious Weed List (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-57.007).
Georgia: Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed).
Alabama: Alabama noxious weeds (Ala. Admin. Code r. 80-10-14-.04).
South Carolina: South Carolina State Plant Pest List, plants (S.C. Code Regs. 27-135; Clemson Dept. of Plant Industry).
Mississippi: Mississippi Noxious Weed List (2 Miss. Code R. 1-3-01-136.01).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Centrosema virginianum (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Celeste Ray via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.