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purple peavine, Sierra Nevada pea, Sierra Nevada sweet pea, Sierra pea, Sierra peavine

bushy vetchling, veiny pea, veiny peavine

Habit Herbs perennial, from rhizome, pubescent except glabrous on legumes and leaflets adaxially. Herbs perennial, from rhizome, glabrous or pubescent.
Stems

angled, erect, sprawling, or climbing, basally branched 0–several times, 1–6 dm.

angled, sprawling or climbing, basally branched 0–3 times, 4–10 dm.

Leaves

2–10 cm;

tendrils mucronate (less than 1 cm) to well developed;

stipules linear, 5–25 × 1–8 mm, much smaller than leaflets;

leaflets 4–12, usually scattered, blades broadly ovate to lanceolate or linear, (17–)20–110 × 2–30(–37) mm, surfaces usually glabrous, rarely finely pubescent.

6–18 cm;

tendrils well developed;

stipules lanceolate to linear, 10–20 × 2–10 mm, much smaller than distal leaflets (less than 1/4 width of distal leaflets);

leaflets 8–14, scattered, blades ovate to lanceolate, 25–70 × 10–35 mm, surfaces glabrous or pubescent.

Inflorescences

2–10-flowered, 3–15 cm.

5–20-flowered, 6–20 cm.

Flowers

12–22 mm;

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

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

ovary glabrous.

10–15 mm;

calyx lobes unequal, lateral lobes linear-triangular or lanceolate, shorter to longer than tube;

corolla blue-purple to rose, banner erect, blade equal to claw, wings equal to keel;

ovary glabrous or pubescent.

Legumes

20–30(–45) × 5–10 mm.

20–50 × 3–7 mm.

Lathyrus nevadensis

Lathyrus venosus

Distribution
from USDA
w North America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
North America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Corollas blue-purple to pink-purple; British Columbia, California, w Oregon, w, c Washington.
var. nevadensis
1. Corollas white; ne Oregon, e Washington, adja­cent Idaho.
→ 2
2. Leaves 4–10 cm; leaflets 6–10; tendrils well developed; flowers 5–10, 12–18 mm.
var. parkeri
2. Leaves 2–5 cm; leaflets 4 or 6; tendrils reduced to bristles, (usually less than 1 cm); flowers 2–4, 18–22 mm.
var. cusickii
1. Herbs sparsely to densely pubescent.
var. intonsus
1. Herbs glabrous.
→ 2
2. Calyces: lateral lobes linear-triangular, equal to or shorter than tubes.
var. venosus
2. Calyces: lateral lobes lanceolate, longer than tubes.
var. arkansanus
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. latifolius, L. littoralis, 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. tuberosus, L. vestitus
Subordinate taxa
L. nevadensis var. cusickii, L. nevadensis var. nevadensis, L. nevadensis var. parkeri
L. venosus var. arkansanus, L. venosus var. intonsus, L. venosus var. venosus
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 11: 133. (1876) Muhlenberg ex Willdenow: Sp. Pl. 3: 1092. (1802)
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