''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.
[
]
This is a perennial herb with a long, winged stem which climbs by means of branched, coiled
tendrils. The leaves are made up of several pairs of lance-shaped leaflets. The plant bears an
inflorescence of up to 15 pink or purplish flowers each up to 2 centimeters wide. The fruit is a hairless,
dehiscent
Dehiscence is the splitting of a mature plant structure along a built-in line of weakness to release its contents. This is common among fruits, anthers and sporangia. Sometimes this involves the complete detachment of a part; structures that op ...
legume pod.
There are two varieties of this species.
*''Lathyrus jepsonii'' var. ''californicus'' is a smaller plant which is sometimes hairy,
*''Lathyrus jepsonii'' var. ''jepsonii'' this rare variety can exceed two meters in height and is hairless, a rare variety which grows in the estuary habitat of the
Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the origin of the common name delta tule pea.
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
jepsonii
Endemic flora of California
Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
Natural history of the California Coast Ranges
Vines
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
Taxa named by Edward Lee Greene
{{fabeae-stub