Lathyrus is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae, and contains approximately 160 species. Commonly known as peavines or vetchlings, they are native to temperate areas, with a breakdown of 52 species in Europe, 30 species in North America, 78 in Asia, 24 in tropical East Africa, and 24 in temperate South America. There are annual and perennial species which may be climbing or bushy. This genus has numerous sections, including Orobus, which was once a separate genus.
Lathyrus latifolius, the perennial peavine, perennial pea, broad-leaved everlasting-pea, or just everlasting pea, is a robust, sprawling herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae. It is native to Europe but is present on other continents, such as North America and Australia, where it is most often seen along roadsides.
Lathyrus pratensis or meadow vetchling, yellow pea, meadow pea and meadow pea-vine, is a perennial legume that grows to 1.2 m in height.
Lathyrus aphaca, known as the yellow pea or yellow vetchling, is an annual species in the family Fabaceae with yellow flowers and solitary, pea-like fruits. It originated in the Middle East and has spread throughout Europe and beyond as a weed of cultivated fields and roadsides. The fruits are eaten as a supplement to diets in some parts of South Asia but are narcotic and potentially toxic in large quantities.
Lathyrus sylvestris, the flat pea or narrow-leaved everlasting-pea, is a species of flowering plant in the pea and bean family Fabaceae. It is native to parts of Africa, Europe, and Asia.
Lathyrus vernus, the spring vetchling, spring pea, or spring vetch, is a species of flowering herbaceous perennial plant in the genus Lathyrus, native to forests of Europe and Siberia. It forms a dense clump of pointed leaves with purple flowers in spring, shading to a greenish-blue with age.
Lathyrus littoralis is a species of wild pea known by the common name silky beach pea. It is native to the coastline of western North America from British Columbia to California. It is a resident of beaches and dunes.
Lathyrus angulatus is a species of wild pea known by the common name angled pea.
Lathyrus cicera is a species of wild pea known by the common names red pea, red vetchling and flatpod peavine. It is native to Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, and it is known from other places as an introduced species. This is a hairless annual herb producing a slightly winged stem. The leaves are each made up of two leaflike linear leaflets 3 to 6 centimeters long. They also bear branched, curling tendrils. The inflorescence holds a single pea flower 1 to 1.5 centimeters wide which is a varying shade of red. The fruit is a hairless dehiscent legume pod.
Lathyrus hirsutus is a species of wild pea known by several common names, including Caley pea, singletary pea, hairy vetchling, and Austrian winter pea. It is native to Europe, North Africa, and much of Asia, and it is known from other continents, including North America, as an introduced species. This is an annual herb producing a winged stem and leaves each made up of two leaflike leaflets with a branching, coiled tendril. The inflorescence holds one or two pink, blue, or bicolored pea flowers each 1 to 1.5 centimeters wide. The fruit is a dehiscent legume pod covered in hairs with each hair growing from a minute bulbous base. The rest of the plant is generally hairless.
Lathyrus jepsonii is a species of wild pea known by the common names delta tule pea and Jepson's pea. It is endemic to California, where it grows in a number of habitat types, including forest and estuary.
Lathyrus palustris is a species of wild pea known by the common name marsh pea. It is native to Europe, Asia, and North America. It is a perennial herb with leaves made up of oval-shaped or oblong leaflets a few centimeters long. It has branched, coiled tendrils. The plant bears an inflorescence of two to eight pinkish purple pea flowers each up to two centimeters wide. The fruit is a dehiscent legume pod.
Lathyrus polyphyllus is a species of wild pea known by the common name leafy pea. It is native to the western United States from Washington to northern California, where it grows in forest and other habitat. This is a perennial herb with long leaves each made up of many pairs of oval-shaped leaflets a few centimeters long. The leaf also has tendrils which may be long, branched and coiled, or just a short bristle. The stipules are large as well, often over a centimeter wide. The plant produces an inflorescence of up to 12 pea flowers usually arranged in a line along one side of the stem. The flowers are up to 2 centimeters wide and are a variety of shades of purple. The fruit is a dehiscent legume pod containing peas.
Lathyrus splendens is a species of wild pea known by the common names pride of California and Campo pea. It is native to Baja California and its range extends into San Diego County, California, where it grows in the chaparral. This is a climbing perennial pea vine with coiling tendrils. Its leaves are each made up of 6 to 8 linear to oval-shaped leaflets a few centimeters long and wavy-margined stipules. The plant produces showy inflorescences of up to 6 bright to deep red flowers each about 3 centimeters wide. The fruit is a hairless dehiscent legume pod.
Lathyrus sulphureus is a species of wild pea known by the common names snub pea and sulphur pea.
Lathyrus tingitanus is a species of wild pea known by the common name Tangier pea. It is native to southwestern Europe and Northwest Africa, and it is present in other regions of the world as an introduced species, including the Pacific Northwest of the United States. This is an annual herb producing a winged stem which climbs by means of coiled tendrils. The leaves are each made up of two leaflike linear leaflets a few centimeters long. The inflorescence has two or three pea flowers in varying shades of red, each up to 3 centimeters wide. The fruit is a hairless dehiscent legume pod.
Lathyrus vestitus is a species of wild pea known by the common name Pacific pea. It is native to western North America, where it is mostly found in the forests, woodlands, and chaparral of California. The ranges of some subspecies extend into Oregon and Baja California. This is a perennial pea vine which varies in appearance across subspecies. Leaves are made up of several leaflets of various shapes up to 4 or 5 centimeters long. The leaves usually bear coiling tendrils and the stipules may be large or small. The inflorescence is a showy array of up to 15 pea flowers, sometimes densely packed together, and usually some shade of light to medium purple or white.
Cytisus multiflorus is a species of legume known by the common names white broom, white spanishbroom and Portuguese broom.
Lathyrus rigidus is a species of wild pea known by the common name stiff pea. It is native to the Modoc Plateau and surrounding areas in the western United States from northeastern California to Idaho. It is a plant of the sagebrush scrub and other habitat in the region. This is a perennial herb forming a clump of short, erect stems. The leaves are made up of several pairs of leaflets 1 to 3 centimeters long each. The inflorescence is a dense raceme of two to five white or pink pea flowers, each roughly 2 cm (0.8 in) long. The fruit is a hairless legume pod.
Lathyrus bijugatus is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common names drypark pea, pinewoods sweetpea, and Latah tule-pea. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Oregon to Montana, and possibly as far south as California.
