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canyon pea, common Pacific pea, Pacific pea, Pacific peavine, Pacific vetchling, wild sweetpea

gesse des marais, marsh pea, marsh peavine, marsh vetchling

Habit Herbs perennial, from rhizome, glabrous or sparsely to densely pubescent. Herbs perennial, from rhizome, glabrous or pubescent.
Stems

angled to narrowly winged, sprawling or climbing, basally branched 0–4 times, 2–20 dm.

narrowly to broadly winged, sprawling or climbing, basally branched 0–4 times, 2–10 dm.

Leaves

4–14 cm;

tendrils well developed;

stipules lanceolate to linear, 5–25 × 1–10 mm, much smaller than leaflets (more than 1/4 width of distal leaflets);

leaflets 6–12, scattered, blades ovate to linear, 12–50 × 5–25 mm, surfaces glabrous or pubescent.

1–6 cm;

tendrils well developed;

stipules ovate-lanceolate to linear, 5–25 × 1–10 mm, much smaller than leaflets;

leaflets 4–8, paired, blades lanceolate to linear, 15–75 × 2–20 mm, surfaces glabrous, glabrate, or pubescent.

Inflorescences

5–20-flowered, 5–25 cm.

2–7-flowered, 3–15 cm.

Flowers

12–25 mm;

calyx lobes unequal, lateral lobes deltate, linear-triangular, or lanceolate and wider distal to base, shorter to longer than tube;

corolla cream-white, rose, lavender, blue-purple, or deep wine red, banner erect or reflexed toward calyx tube, blade equal to or longer than claw, wings equal to keel;

ovary glabrous or pubescent.

10–15 mm;

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

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

ovary glandular-pubescent.

Legumes

40–60 × 4–7 mm.

25–60 × 4–8 mm.

2n

= 14.

Lathyrus vestitus

Lathyrus palustris

Phenology Flowering Apr–Aug.
Habitat Coastal and inland wetlands.
Elevation 0–1800 m. (0–5900 ft.)
Distribution
from USDA
w United States; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; IA; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SD; TN; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK; SPM
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Morphological variation within Lathyrus palustris is extensive. Although the most distinctive forms (see synonyms) have been accorded formal nomenclatural recognition (M. L. Fernald 1911; C. L. Hitchcock 1952), intergradation among these mostly sympatric ecotypes is widespread (D. Isely 1998). In Nunavut, it is known only from Akimiski Island in James Bay.

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

Key
1. Flowers 16–25 mm, corollas dark wine red, ban­ners reflexed against calyx tube.
var. alefeldii
1. Flowers 12–17 mm, corollas cream-white, rose, lavender, or blue-purple, banners erect.
→ 2
2. Leaflet blades often sparsely to densely pubes­cent throughout, sometimes pubescent abax­ially, glabrous adaxially; flowers rose, lavender, or blue-purple; California, sw Oregon.
var. vestitus
2. Leaflet blades glabrous; flowers cream-white; Puget Sound area to sw Oregon and nw California.
var. ochropetalus
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. 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. 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
L. vestitus var. alefeldii, L. vestitus var. ochropetalus, L. vestitus var. vestitus
Synonyms L. myrtifolius, L. palustris var. linearifolius, L. palustris var. macranthus, L. palustris var. myrtifolius, L. palustris subsp. pilosus, L. palustris var. pilosus, L. palustris var. retusus
Name authority Nuttall in J. Torrey and A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 276. (1838) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 733. (1753)
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