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aspen pea, aspen peavine, aspen vetchling, plateau peavine, plateau vetchling

few-flower pea, few-flower pea-vine, few-flower vetchling

Habit Herbs perennial, from rhizome, glabrous. Herbs perennial, from rhizome or thickened rootstock, glabrous.
Stems

angled, sprawling to erect, basally branched 0–3 times, 2–8 dm.

angled, erect, sprawling, or climbing, basally branched 1–3 times, 3–8 dm.

Leaves

3–8 cm;

tendrils well developed, often branched;

stipules lanceolate, 8–12 × 2–5 mm, much smaller than leaflets;

leaflets 6–10, usually paired, blades ovate, 20–40 × 10–20 mm, surfaces glabrous.

6–9 cm;

tendrils well developed;

stipules ovate to lanceolate, 15–25 × 5–11 mm, much smaller than leaflets;

leafets 6–10, scattered, blades lanceolate to linear or ovate, 20–80 × 2–35 mm, surfaces glabrous.

Inflorescences

2–5-flowered, 4–7 cm.

4–13-flowered, 5–18 cm.

Flowers

15–20 mm;

calyx lobes unequal, lateral lobes deltate, shorter than tube;

corolla white to slightly pink or lavender, banner erect, blade longer than claw, wings equal to keel;

ovary glabrous.

12–20 mm;

calyx lobes unequal, lateral lobes deltate, shorter than tube;

corolla pale blue-lavender to purple, banner erect, blade longer than claw, wings longer than keel, (by 1–4 mm);

ovary glabrous.

Legumes

30–50 × 5–15 mm.

30–50 × 5–10 mm.

Lathyrus laetivirens

Lathyrus pauciflorus

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jul.
Habitat Flats, hillsides, sagebrush com­munities, pinyon-juniper, oak, pine, aspen and Douglas-fir forests.
Elevation 1200–3200 m. (3900–10500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; NV; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
w United States
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

C. L. Hitchcock (1952), S. L. Welsh et al. (1987), and D. Isely (1998) placed Lathyrus laetivirens within the L. lanszwertii complex, whereas R. C. Barneby (1989) treated it as a separate species.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Leaflet blades lanceolate to linear, width less than 1/2 length.
var. pauciflorus
1. Leaflet blades ovate, width equal to or greater than 1/2 length.
var. utahensis
Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Lathyrus Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Lathyrus
Sibling taxa
L. angulatus, L. aphaca, L. biflorus, L. brachycalyx, L. brownii, L. cicera, L. decaphyllus, L. delnorticus, L. eucosmus, L. glandulosus, L. graminifolius, L. grimesii, L. hirsutus, L. hitchcockianus, L. holochlorus, L. japonicus, L. jepsonii, L. lanszwertii, L. latifolius, L. littoralis, L. nevadensis, L. nissolia, L. ochroleucus, L. odoratus, L. palustris, L. pauciflorus, L. polyphyllus, L. pratensis, L. pusillus, L. rigidus, L. sphaericus, L. splendens, L. sulphureus, L. sylvestris, L. tingitanus, L. torreyi, L. tracyi, L. tuberosus, L. venosus, L. vestitus
L. angulatus, L. aphaca, L. biflorus, L. brachycalyx, L. brownii, L. cicera, L. decaphyllus, L. delnorticus, L. eucosmus, L. glandulosus, L. graminifolius, L. grimesii, L. hirsutus, L. hitchcockianus, L. holochlorus, L. japonicus, L. jepsonii, L. laetivirens, L. lanszwertii, L. latifolius, L. littoralis, L. nevadensis, L. nissolia, L. ochroleucus, L. odoratus, L. palustris, L. polyphyllus, L. pratensis, L. pusillus, L. rigidus, L. sphaericus, L. splendens, L. sulphureus, L. sylvestris, L. tingitanus, L. torreyi, L. tracyi, L. tuberosus, L. venosus, L. vestitus
Subordinate taxa
L. pauciflorus var. pauciflorus, L. pauciflorus var. utahensis
Synonyms L. lanszwertii var. laetivirens, L. leucanthus var. laetivirens
Name authority Greene ex Rydberg: Fl. Colorado, 217. (1906) Fernald: Bot. Gaz. 19: 335. (1894)
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