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

cream pea, cream vetchling, cream-flower peavine, cream-flower sweet pea, creamy peavine, pale vetchling

flat or narrow leaf everlasting or sweet pea, flat pea, narrow-leaf everlasting peavine, narrow-leaf everlasting-pea, narrow-leaf peavine, narrow-leaf vetchling

Habit Herbs perennial, from rhizome, glabrous except calyx ciliate. Herbs perennial, from rhizome, glabrous.
Stems

angled, sprawling or climbing, basally branched 0–3 times, 3–8 dm.

broadly winged, sprawling or climbing, basally branched 1–3 times, 6–20 dm.

Leaves

(2–)3–10 cm;

tendrils well developed;

stipules somewhat foliose, ovate-lanceolate, 15–35 × 5–20 mm, sometimes equal to distal leaflets;

leaflets (5 or)6(–8), usually paired, blades broadly ovate to lanceolate, (20–)25–65 × 10–35(–42) mm, surfaces glabrous.

2–4 cm, rachises winged;

tendrils well developed, branched;

stipules linear, 10–30 × 1–3 mm, less than 1/2 width of stem, much smaller than leaflets;

leaflets 2, blades linear, 20–150 × 4–24 mm, surfaces glabrous.

Inflorescences

4–10(–13)-flowered, 3–12 cm.

3–10-flowered, 9–27 cm.

Flowers

10–15 mm;

calyx lobes unequal, lateral lobes lanceolate, usually longer than tube;

corolla cream-white, banner erect, blade longer than claw, wings equal to keel;

ovary glabrous.

12–17 mm;

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

corolla red-purple, banner erect, blade longer than claw, wings equal to keel;

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

Legumes

30–70 × 4–7 mm.

30–75 × 5–10 mm.

2n

= 14.

= 14.

Lathyrus ochroleucus

Lathyrus sylvestris

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jul. Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Moist woodlands, clearings, thickets, glades, meadows. Roadsides, fencerows, waste ground.
Elevation 0–1500 m. (0–4900 ft.) 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; IA; ID; IL; IN; MI; MN; MT; ND; NE; NJ; NY; OH; PA; SD; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NT; NU; ON; QC; SK; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; CO; CT; GA; ID; IN; KY; MA; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NH; NY; OR; PA; RI; SC; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; BC; NB; NS; ON; PE; QC; Europe [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico (Nuevo León), Pacific Islands (New Zealand)]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Lathyrus sylvestris is similar to L. latifolius and intermediate populations are known to occur in Europe (M. Valero 1991). In North America, L. sylvestris is distinguished by its distinctly narrower stipules.

(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. latifolius, L. littoralis, L. nevadensis, L. nissolia, 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. tingitanus, L. torreyi, L. tracyi, L. tuberosus, L. venosus, L. vestitus
Synonyms L. nevadensis subsp. stipulaceus
Name authority Hooker: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 159. (1831) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 733. (1753)
Web links