Samsamping/Butterfly Pea

ByMaria

20131213_090437Samsamping – Butterfly pea (Scientific name – clitoria ternate)

I’m a member of a community garden and as most gardeners I’m curious of what other gardeners have in their plot. This blue flowers caught my attention and I asked for some seeds because I love blue flowers. I asked for the name of the plant but my friend said that a Filipino friend gave it to him and that the beans is supposed to be edible.  I never seen or heard of this plant when I was growing up in the Philippines so I didn’t  have a clue either. I posted the flower in Facebook and asked anybody who knows the name and somebody responded it is called “samsamping” an Ilocano word. I don’t know if there is a Tagalog word for it.

I like this “samsamping” plant.  It is easy to grow.  Right now my plant is full of beautiful blue flowers and some have already formed into beans. I don’t know if I like to eat the beans but I sure love the flowers and the butterflies and bees love them too.  The beans are green and look just like the jicama seeds only thinner.

At least now I know what I will call these amazing blue flowers.

 

Similar Posts

  • Pumpkin/Kalabasa

    ByMaria

    This is the pumpkin now after I helped it to be pollinated (notice I have also long beans in the same trellis). Two weeks after I hand-pollinated the female pumpkin flower, it has grown and almost ready to be picked. That’s one of the things that keep me going when it comes to gardening. Patience…

  • Baguio Beans

    ByMaria

    We call these delectable green vegetable Baguio beans because they are mostly grown in the Mountain Province where the temperature is cooler than the lowlands in the Philippines and Baguio City is the most popular destination during the hot summer months.

  • Prizehead Lettuce

    ByMaria

    This is my latest experimentation on lettuces. I bought the seeds just because of the picture. I thought it would look good in my lettuce garden bed. So after a few weeks, I am starting to harvest them. In combination of other types of lettuce plus the arugula, it makes the salad more appetizing. It…

  • Artichoke

    ByMaria

    Artichoke is perennial vegetable that belongs to the thistle family of plants. The edible part of the plant is the bud before it opens into a flower. The immature florets in the center of the bud is called the “choke” but its not edible. You have to remove it from the base called the heart,…

  • Sweet Potato Leaves

    ByMaria

    Sweet potato leaves are considered as an everyday food in the Philippines. It is served steamed and teamed with a dipping sauce we call fish bagoong. You can also use it as a substitute for “un choi” or “kangkong” in making “sinigang” which is a sour soup. I have this sweet potato planted in my…