Lathyrus japonicus
Lathyrus pusillus
beach or maritime or sand pea, beach pea, beach vetchling, maritime pea, sea pea, seaside pea
singletary vetchling, tiny pea
angled to narrowly winged, erect, sprawling, or climbing, basally branched 0–4 times, 1–10 dm.
narrowly winged, sprawling or climbing, basally branched 0–4 times, 3–6 dm.
3–15 cm;
tendrils usually well developed, branched or unbranched;
stipules sagittate-ovate, 7–35 × 7–30 mm, as large as basal leaflets;
leaflets 6–12, usually scattered, blades ovate to lanceolate, 15–55 × 5–35 mm, surfaces glabrous throughout or pubescent abaxially.
1–3 cm;
tendrils well developed;
stipules linear, 10–20 × 2–5 mm, equal to smaller leaflets;
leaflets 2, blades linear, 15–60 × 2–8 mm, surfaces glabrous.
4–9-flowered, 4–15 cm.
terminal, 1- or 2-flowered, 2–4 cm.
12–29 mm;
calyx lobes unequal, lateral lobes linear-triangular, longer than tube;
corolla blue to purple, banner erect, blade longer than claw, wings equal to keel;
ovary eglandular and glandular-pubescent.
7–10 mm;
calyx lobes subequal, linear-triangular, usually longer than tube;
corolla blue, banner erect, blade equal to claw, wings equal to keel;
ovary glabrous.
35–65 × 6–12 mm.
30–50 × 2–4 mm.
= 14.
Lathyrus japonicus
Lathyrus pusillus
Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).
Within Lathyrus japonicus, in the narrow sense, there is a south to north reduction in plant size, including plant height, robustness, and leaflet size, but not flower size, flower number, or fruit size. On the east coast of North America this shift seems fairly abrupt, giving the appearance of a clear distinction between var. maritimus and var. pellitus in the south, and var. japonicus to the north in Labrador and Greenland. However, on the West Coast, there are few truly pubescent forms (var. pellitus), and there seem to be many more intermediates between var. maritimus in the south and var. japonicus to the north.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Lathyrus pusillus, the only North American member of section Notolathyrus, a section centered in South America, is also the only annual species of Lathyrus native to North America. It is native to the southeastern United States; it has been cultivated as a forage crop in Oregon and occasionally escapes, but it has not become naturalized there.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Stems 1–3.5 dm; leaflet blades 15–35 mm; tendrils unbranched, less than 3 cm. | var. japonicus |
1. Stems 3–10 dm; leaflet blades 30–50(–55) mm; tendrils branched, 3+ cm. | → 2 |
2. Leaflet blades glabrous. | var. maritimus |
2. Leaflet blades pubescent abaxially (especially new growth). | var. pellitus |
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
KS Wildflowers
LA Plants
MO Plants
