Knowing Telang Flowers, from How to Plant to Health Benefits
KOMPAS.com – Telang flowers are vines that are usually found in gardens or grow wild. However, recently many are growing it as an ornamental plant.
This flower has a scientific name Clitoria ternatea. Consists of three colors, namely blue, white, and purple.
Quoted Kompas Daily, March 3, 2017, telang flower which is commonly grown as a wild plant can be made blue tea (from blue flower telang).
The refreshing sour taste of tea is considered effective in helping digestion.
Reported Plant Care TodayThis herbal plant is native to tropical Asia, including areas in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Thailand).
But nowadays the so-called plant butterfly pea it is widespread in the United States, Australia, and Africa.
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Telang flowers were first extracted in Ternate, Maluku. Therefore, it is called ternatea.
This plant grows rapidly and reaches a height of 6-10 feet (182-304 cm). When mature, the telang flower plant has elliptical leaves 1-2 inches (2-5 cm) long, while the stems are 1-9 feet (30-274 cm).
The flowers can grow 1-3 inches (2-7 cm) long. These flowers usually bloom in early spring, early / late summer, or early fall.
The telang flower blooms in the morning in an upside down position and does not give off an aroma or taste.
These plants are best adapted to locations that are exposed to around 12 inches (30 cm) of annual summer rainfall.
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Planting telang flowers
Clitoria ternatea can enjoy full sun for its growth. However, this plant thrives in low light conditions including partial shade.
The telang flower also tolerates cool and humid climatic conditions to some extent, but desires frost free conditions.
Regarding watering, this plant is better watered regularly in the first growing season to absorb nutrients in the soil.
The telang flower prefers rich, sandy soil qualities with a pH value of from 6.6 to 7.5.
For best results, make sure the soil is well drained and composed of compost and organic matter.
You can fertilize 1-2 times a year with liquid organic fertilizer.
Consider grafting when the plant has reached a minimum height of 6 inches (182 cm).
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The following are things that need to be considered regarding care and maintenance:
- Avoid overwatering to keep plants in their best condition.
- Trim it often so that it doesn’t get leggy or bushy.
- Pruning includes the removal of any dead, damaged, or diseased plant components in any season.
- When planting, choose any type of soil as long as it has good drainage and place the plant in a place that receives maximum sunlight.
Regarding the pest, usually those that attack telang flowers are aphids, mites, and spiders that eat perennial shrubs.
To keep pests away, you can use neem oil or neem oil.
Other than that, overwatering or under watering often causing pests such as caterpillars and grasshoppers to attack the plant.
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Telang flowers are useful as a cure for various diseases such as diabetes, asthma, and so on. Also able to increase memory, laxative, anti-stress, and even cosmetics.
In traditional Ayurvedic medicine, this herb is steeped in hot water to make a striking blue tea.
This fresh tea helps treat various ailments and improves nutrients such as flavonols, glycosides, antioxidants, peptides, and amylases.
Extract ternatea There are also many beauty products available to improve the quality of skin and hair. The flowers are used for coloring cakes, puddings and food.
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