Macro Flower Saturday
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In Southeast Asia the flowers are used to colour food. In Malay cooking, an aqueous extract is used to colour glutinous rice for kuih ketan (also known as pulut tai tai in Peranakan/Nyonya cooking) and in nonya chang. In Thailand, a syrupy blue drink is made called nam dok anchan (น้ำดอกอัญชัน). In Burma the flowers are used as food, often they are dipped in batter and fried.
The flowers of this vine have the shape of human female pudenda, hence the Latin name of the genus "Clitoria", from "clitoris". (Synonyms: Clitoris principissae.)[3] "Ternatea", the name of the species, comes from Ternate, a location in Indonesia.[citation needed] In some languages (Tamil, Malayalam) it is named after the seashell, which is a euphemism for a woman's external sexual organs.[citation needed]
Owing to its similarity to a human body part, this plant has been ascribed properties affecting the same (a phenomenon also found in connection with the mandrake, among other plants). It was used traditionally to cure sexual ailments, like infertility and gonorrhea, to control menstrual discharge, and also as an aphrodisiac.
8 comments:
my mom has plenty of these flowers in her garden.
Goodness, I had no idea about any of this!! Well researched, and a beautiful flower!
Interesting info of the many uses of the plant. I've never seen this flower before.
Nice shot.
Very interesting, Ann. Can you grow them in NZ? I've just got some seeds of this ternatea from p3chandan, but yet to germinate them. Didn't know we could fry them for a snack.
Rosie
Interessante e informativo seu post. Amei a foto!
I remember reading in the Bible about mandrakes. Fascinating.
It is a very beautiful little flower. You have researched it well, the information is fascinating.
When I saw the picture, they reminded me of sweet pea flowers.
Interesting post.
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