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

broad-leaf peavine, everlasting or perennial sweet pea, everlasting pea, everlasting peavine, everlasting vetchling, perennial pea, perennial peavine, perennial sweet pea, sweet pea

earth-nut pea, earth-nut peavine, tuber vetchling, tuberous pea, tuberous sweetpea

Habit Herbs perennial, from rhizome, glabrous. Herbs perennial, from tuber-bearing rhizome, glabrous.
Stems

broadly winged, sprawling or climbing, basally branched 1–5 times, 8–20 dm.

not winged, sprawling, branched along trailing stems several times, 2–6 dm.

Leaves

2–5 cm, rachises broadly winged;

tendrils well developed, branched;

stipules lanceolate, 30–40 × 7–15 mm, at least 1/2 width of stem, much smaller than leaflets;

leaflets 2, blades lanceolate-elliptic, 30–120 × 7–50 mm, surfaces glabrous.

0.5–2 cm;

tendrils well developed;

stipules filiform-linear, 5–10 × 1–3 mm, much smaller than leaflets;

leaflets 2, blades lanceolate, 10–40 × 5–15 mm, surfaces glabrous.

Inflorescences

5–15-flowered, 10–33 cm.

4–6-flowered, 6–15 cm.

Flowers

15–20 mm;

calyx lobes unequal, lateral lobes linear-triangular, shorter than tube;

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

ovary densely glandular-pubescent, style rotated 90° from ovary axis.

8–12 mm;

calyx lobes unequal, lateral lobes linear-triangular, equal to tube;

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

ovary glabrous, style rotated 90° from ovary axis.

Legumes

50–110 × 5–10 mm.

20–30(–40) × 3–6 mm.

2n

= 14.

= 14.

Lathyrus latifolius

Lathyrus tuberosus

Phenology Flowering May–Sep. Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Roadsides, disturbed areas. Roadsides, meadows, fields.
Elevation 50–2100 m. (200–6900 ft.) 50–100 m. (200–300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; BC; NB; NS; ON; PE; QC; Europe [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico, South America (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay), Asia (China, Japan), n, e, s Africa, Pacific Islands (Hawaii, New Zealand), Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; IA; IL; IN; KY; MA; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; TN; VT; WA; WI; WV; MB; ON; QC; SK; Europe; w Asia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Lathyrus latifolius is widely naturalized in North America and forms large thickets along roadsides, especially in the Pacific Coast states. M. J. W. Godt and J. L. Hamrick (1991) explored genetic variation within the species as it occurs in North America.

(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. laetivirens, L. lanszwertii, 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. sphaericus, L. splendens, L. sulphureus, L. sylvestris, L. tingitanus, L. torreyi, L. tracyi, L. venosus, L. vestitus
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 733. (1753) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 732. (1753)
Web links