''Lathyrus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...

s in the legume family Fabaceae, and contains approximately 160 species. Commonly known as peavines or vetchlings, they are

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

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 A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widel ...

species which may be climbing or bushy. This genus has numerous sections, including ''Orobus'', which was once a separate genus.

Uses

Many species are cultivated as garden plants. The genus includes the garden sweet pea (''Lathyrus odoratus'') and the

everlasting pea (''Lathyrus latifolius'').

Flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanis ...

s on these cultivated species may be rose, red, maroon, pink, white, yellow, purple or blue, and some are bicolored. They are also grown for their fragrance. Cultivated species are susceptible to fungal infections including downy and powdery mildew. Other species are grown for food, including the Indian pea (''L. sativus'') and the red pea (''L. cicera''), and less commonly cyprus-vetch (''L. ochrus'') and Spanish vetchling (''L. clymenum''). The tuberous pea (''L. tuberosus'') is grown as a root vegetable for its starchy edible

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing ...

. The

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosper ...

s of some ''Lathyrus'' species contain the toxic

amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although hundreds of amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the alpha-amino acids, which comprise proteins. Only 22 alpha ...

oxalyldiaminopropionic acid and if eaten in large quantities can cause lathyrism, a serious disease.

Diversity

Species include:GRIN Species Records of ''Lathyrus''.
Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). *'' Lathyrus alpestris'' *'' Lathyrus angulatus'' – angled pea *'' Lathyrus annuus'' – red fodder pea *'' Lathyrus aphaca'' – yellow pea *'' Lathyrus aureus'' – golden pea *'' Lathyrus basalticus'' *'' Lathyrus bauhinii'' *'' Lathyrus belinensis'' *'' Lathyrus biflorus'' – twoflower pea *'' Lathyrus bijugatus'' – drypark pea *'' Lathyrus blepharicarpus'' – ciliate vetchling *'' Lathyrus boissieri'' *'' Lathyrus brachycalyx'' – Bonneville pea *'' Lathyrus cassius'' *'' Lathyrus chloranthus'' *'' Lathyrus cicera'' – red pea *'' Lathyrus ciliolatus'' *'' Lathyrus cirrhosus'' *'' Lathyrus clymenum'' – Spanish vetchling *'' Lathyrus crassipes'' – ''arvejilla'' *'' Lathyrus cyaneus'' *'' Lathyrus davidii'' *'' Lathyrus decaphyllus'' – prairie vetchling *'' Lathyrus delnorticus'' – Del Norte pea *'' Lathyrus digitatus'' *'' Lathyrus eucosmus'' – seemly vetchling, bush vetchling *'' Lathyrus filiformis'' *'' Lathyrus gloeospermus'' *'' Lathyrus gorgoni'' *'' Lathyrus graminifolius'' – grassleaf pea *'' Lathyrus grandiflorus'' – twoflower everlasting pea *'' Lathyrus grimesii'' – Grimes' pea *'' Lathyrus heterophyllus'' – Norfolk everlasting pea *'' Lathyrus hirsutus'' – hairy vetchling *'' Lathyrus hitchcockianus'' – Bullfrog Mountain pea *'' Lathyrus holochlorus'' – thinleaf pea *'' Lathyrus hygrophilus'' *'' Lathyrus inconspicuus'' *'' Lathyrus incurvus'' *''

Lathyrus japonicus ''Lathyrus japonicus'', the sea pea, beach pea, circumpolar pea or sea vetchling, is a species of flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae, native to temperate coastal areas of the Northern Hemisphere and Argentina. It is a herbaceous pere ...

'' – sea pea, beach pea *'' Lathyrus jepsonii'' – delta tule pea *'' Lathyrus laetivirens'' – aspen pea *''

Lathyrus laevigatus ''Lathyrus laevigatus'' is a flowering plant of the genus ''Lathyrus'' in the legume family Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,Lathyrus lanszwertii'' – Nevada pea *'' Lathyrus latifolius'' – everlasting pea, perennial pea *'' Lathyrus laxiflorus'' *'' Lathyrus libani'' – Lebanon vetchling *'' Lathyrus linifolius'' – bitter vetch, heath pea *'' Lathyrus littoralis'' – silky beach pea *'' Lathyrus macropus'' *'' Lathyrus magellanicus'' *'' Lathyrus nervosus'' – Lord Anson's blue pea *'' Lathyrus nevadensis'' – Sierra pea *'' Lathyrus niger'' – black pea *''

Lathyrus nissolia ''Lathyrus nissolia'', the grass vetchling or grass pea, is a species of flowering plant in the pea and bean family Fabaceae. It is native to most of Europe, Maghreb, Levant and the Caucasus. Despite its common names, it is not a grass, but belo ...

'' – grass vetchling *'' Lathyrus nudicaulis'' *'' Lathyrus ochroleucus'' – cream pea *'' Lathyrus ochrus'' – Cyprus-vetch *'' Lathyrus odoratus'' – sweet pea *'' Lathyrus palustris'' – marsh pea *'' Lathyrus pannonicus'' *'' Lathyrus pauciflorus'' – fewflower pea *'' Lathyrus pisiformis'' *'' Lathyrus polyphyllus'' – leafy pea *''

Lathyrus pratensis ''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. The hermaphrodite flowers are pollinated by bees. As a perennial, this plant reproduces itself over man ...

'' – meadow vetchling *'' Lathyrus pseudocicera'' *'' Lathyrus pubescens'' *'' Lathyrus pusillus'' – tiny pea, singletary vetchling *'' Lathyrus quinquenervius'' *'' Lathyrus rigidus'' – stiff pea *'' Lathyrus roseus'' *'' Lathyrus sativus'' – Indian pea, white pea, chickling vetch *'' Lathyrus sphaericus'' – grass pea *'' Lathyrus splendens'' – pride of California *'' Lathyrus sulphureus'' – snub pea *'' Lathyrus sylvestris'' – flat pea *'' Lathyrus szowitsii'' *'' Lathyrus tingitanus'' – Tangier pea *'' Lathyrus torreyi'' – Torrey's peavine *'' Lathyrus tuberosus'' – tuberous pea *'' Lathyrus undulatus'' – wavy pea *'' Lathyrus vaniotii'' – Korean mountain vetchling *'' Lathyrus venetus'' *'' Lathyrus venosus'' – veiny pea, bushy vetchling *'' Lathyrus vernus'' – spring pea *'' Lathyrus vestitus'' – Pacific pea *'' Lathyrus vinealis'' *'' Lathyrus whitei''

Ecology

''Lathyrus'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e of some Lepidoptera species, including the grey chi (''Antitype chi'') and the latticed heath (''Chiasmia clathrata''), both recorded on meadow vetchling (''Lathyrus pratensis''), and '' Chionodes braunella''.

Notes

External links

*
Calflora Database: ''Lathyrus'' species index

Jepson Flora Project: Key to ''Lathyrus''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q157209 Fabaceae genera Garden plants Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus