Lathyrus sylvestris on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
''Lathyrus sylvestris'', the flat pea or narrow-leaved everlasting-pea, is a species of
USDA NRCS Plant Fact Sheet.
The narrow-leaved everlasting-pea is a perennial plant which can grow by climbing with its
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 ...
in the pea and bean family . It is native to parts of Africa, Europe, and Asia.
The narrow-leaved everlasting-pea forms a mat of herbage. The stems are winged. Each leaf is made up of two elongated leaflets. The flowers are pink. The fruit is a legume
A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock for ...
pod about 2 inches long.''Lathyrus sylvestris''.USDA NRCS Plant Fact Sheet.
Description
The narrow-leaved everlasting-pea is a perennial plant which can grow by climbing with its tendril
In botany, a tendril is a specialized stem, leaf or petiole with a threadlike shape used by climbing plants for support and attachment, as well as cellular invasion by parasitic plants such as '' Cuscuta''. There are many plants that have tend ...
s. Without any support it can reach about tall. The stem is floppy and flat with wide wings. The leaves are alternate with short winged stalks and stipules. The leaf blades are pinnate with a single pair of narrow lanceolate leaflets with entire margins and three tendrils. The inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are forme ...
has a long stem and three to ten pinkish-red flowers. These have five sepals and five petals and are irregular. The uppermost petal is known as the "standard", the lateral two as the "wings" and the lowest two are joined to form the "keel". There are ten stamens and a single carpel. The fruit is a long pod containing five to fifteen seeds.
Distribution and habitat
The narrow-leaved everlasting-pea is native to parts of Africa, Europe and Asia. Its natural habitat is forest edges, sparse broad-leaved hillside forests, dry hillside meadows, hedgerows, embankments and waste ground. It uses its tendrils to scramble over plants, shrubs and the lower branches of trees.Uses
This plant is sometimes used to controlerosion
Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is d ...
and for this purpose it is generally planted along with a grass species. It can do well in highly disturbed habitat. There is a cultivar
A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...
called 'Lathco'.
References
External links
* sylvestris Flora of Africa Flora of Asia Flora of Europe Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{fabeae-stub