The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

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

grass pea, grass peavine

Habit Herbs perennial, from rhizome, glabrous. Herbs annual, glabrous.
Stems

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

not winged, erect, sprawling or climbing, basally branched 1–several times, 2–5 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.

0.5–1.5 cm;

tendrils bristlelike to 4 cm, often unbranched;

stipules linear, 10–15 × 2–10 mm, much smaller than leaflets;

leaflets 2, blades linear, 20–90 × 2–10 mm, surfaces glabrous.

Inflorescences

2–5-flowered, 4–7 cm.

1-flowered, 1–2 cm, prolonged beyond flower into a bristle.

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.

6–10 mm;

calyx lobes subequal, lateral lobes lanceolate, longer than tube;

corolla reddish orange, banner erect, blade longer than or equal to claw, wings equal to keel;

ovary glabrous.

Legumes

30–50 × 5–15 mm.

40–60 × 4–6 mm, longitudinal venation prominent.

2n

= 14.

Lathyrus laetivirens

Lathyrus sphaericus

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jul. Flowering Apr–Jul.
Habitat Flats, hillsides, sagebrush com­munities, pinyon-juniper, oak, pine, aspen and Douglas-fir forests. Roadsides, pastures, waste areas.
Elevation 1200–3200 m. (3900–10500 ft.) 0–500 m. (0–1600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; NV; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC; Europe [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico, Asia, Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia]
[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.)

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. pauciflorus, L. polyphyllus, L. pratensis, L. pusillus, L. rigidus, L. splendens, L. sulphureus, L. sylvestris, L. tingitanus, L. torreyi, L. tracyi, L. tuberosus, L. venosus, L. vestitus
Synonyms L. lanszwertii var. laetivirens, L. leucanthus var. laetivirens
Name authority Greene ex Rydberg: Fl. Colorado, 217. (1906) Retzius: Observ. Bot. 3: 39. (1783)
Web links