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Lathyrus

 
Lathyrus

 
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Lathyrus
 
 
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The genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 Lathyrus consists of the sweet peas and vetchlings, flowering plant
Flowering plant

The flowering plants or angiosperms are the most widespread group of Embryophytes. The flowering plants and the gymnosperms are the only extant groups of Spermatophyte....
s in the legume
Legume

A legume is a plant in the family Fabaceae , or a fruit of these specific plants. A legume fruit is a Fruit#Simple fruit that develops from a simple carpel and usually Dehiscence on two sides....
 family Fabaceae
Fabaceae

Fabaceae or Leguminosae is a large and economically important family of flowering plants, which is commonly known as the legume family, pea family, bean family or pulse family....
. There are approximately 160 species of Lathyrus; they are native to temperate
Temperate

In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally mild, rather than extreme hot or cold....
 areas, with a breakdown of 52 species in Europe, 30 species in North America, 78 in Asia, 24 in tropical East Africa, and 24 in temperate South America. There are annual
Annual plant

An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates flowers and dies in one year. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed....
 and perennial
Perennial plant

A perennial plant or perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. When used by gardeners or horticulturalists, this term applies specifically to perennial herbaceous plants....
 species which may be climbing or bushy.






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Encyclopedia


The genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 Lathyrus consists of the sweet peas and vetchlings, flowering plant
Flowering plant

The flowering plants or angiosperms are the most widespread group of Embryophytes. The flowering plants and the gymnosperms are the only extant groups of Spermatophyte....
s in the legume
Legume

A legume is a plant in the family Fabaceae , or a fruit of these specific plants. A legume fruit is a Fruit#Simple fruit that develops from a simple carpel and usually Dehiscence on two sides....
 family Fabaceae
Fabaceae

Fabaceae or Leguminosae is a large and economically important family of flowering plants, which is commonly known as the legume family, pea family, bean family or pulse family....
. There are approximately 160 species of Lathyrus; they are native to temperate
Temperate

In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally mild, rather than extreme hot or cold....
 areas, with a breakdown of 52 species in Europe, 30 species in North America, 78 in Asia, 24 in tropical East Africa, and 24 in temperate South America. There are annual
Annual plant

An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates flowers and dies in one year. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed....
 and perennial
Perennial plant

A perennial plant or perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. When used by gardeners or horticulturalists, this term applies specifically to perennial herbaceous plants....
 species which may be climbing or bushy. This genus has numerous sections, including Orobus, which was once a separate genus.

The genus includes the garden sweet pea
Sweet pea

Sweet Pea is a flowering plant in the genus Lathyrus in the family Fabaceae , native to the eastern Mediterranean region from Sicily east to Crete....
 (Lathyrus odoratus) and the perennial
Perennial plant

A perennial plant or perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. When used by gardeners or horticulturalists, this term applies specifically to perennial herbaceous plants....
 everlasting pea
Everlasting pea

Lathyrus latifolius, the perennial peavine or perennial pea, is a flowering plant of the genus Lathyrus in the legume family Fabaceae....
 (Lathyrus latifolius). Flower
Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproduction structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds....
s on these cultivated species may be rose, red, maroon, pink, white, yellow, purple or blue and some are bicolored; they are also fragrant, which makes them a very popular garden plant. Cultivated species are susceptible to fungal infections including downy and powdery mildew
Mildew

Mildew refers to certain kinds of mold or fungus. In Old English, it meant honeydew , and later came to mean mildew in the modern senses.*The term mildew is often used generically to refer to mold growth, usually with a flat growth habit....
. Lathyrus species are used as food plants by the larva
Larva

A larva is a young form of animal with indirect developmental biology, going through or undergoing metamorphosis .The larva can look completely different from the adult form, for example, a caterpillar differs from a butterfly....
e of some Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera is an order of insect that includes moths and butterfly. It is one of the most speciose orders in the class Insecta, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterfly, skipper , and Hedylidae....
 species including Grey Chi
Grey Chi

The Grey Chi is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is distributed throughout Europe.This species has grey forewings speckled with black markings which vary in intensity ....
, Latticed Heath
Latticed Heath

The Latticed Heath is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout Europe, the Near East and North Africa. It is a fairly common species in the British Isles....
 (both recorded on Meadow Vetchling
Meadow vetchling

Lathyrus pratensis or Meadow vetchling, also known as the Meadow Pea and Meadow pea-vine, is a perennial legume that grows to 1.2 m in height....
) and Chionodes braunella
Chionodes

Chionodes is a genus of moths of the family Gelechiidae. This large group has representatives in most parts of the world. Many species of this genus utilize Douglas fir as a host plant....
.

Other species are grown for food, including L. sativus
Lathyrus sativus

Lathyrus sativus, is a legume commonly grown for human consumption and livestock feed in Asia and East Africa. It is a particularly important crop in areas that are prone to drought and famine, and is thought of as an 'insurance crop' as it produces reliable yields when all other crops fail....
 and L. cicera, and less commonly L. ochrus and L. clymenum. L. tuberosus
Lathyrus tuberosus

Lathyrus tuberosus, also known as the Tuberous Pea, Earthnut Pea, or Aardaker, is a small, vine perennial plant, native in moist temperate parts of Europe and western Asia....
 is grown as a root vegetable
Root vegetable

Root vegetables are plant roots used as vegetables. Other underground plants are often, erroneously, called root vegetables. Root vegetables include both true roots such as tuberous roots and taproots, but exclude non-roots such as tubers, rhizomes, corms, and bulbs....
 for its starchy edible tuber
Tuber

Tubers are various types of modified plant structures that are enlarged to store nutrients. They are used by plants to overwinter and regrow the next year and as a means of asexual reproduction....
.

The seed
Seed

A seed is a small Plant embryogenesis plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some Food storage. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant....
s of some Lathyrus species contain a toxic amino acid
Amino acid

In chemistry, an amino acid is a molecule containing both amine and carboxyl functional groups. These molecules are particularly important in biochemistry, where this term refers to alpha-amino acids with the general formula H2NCHRCOOH, where R is an organic substituent....
 and if eaten in large quantities can cause lathyrism
Lathyrism

Lathyrism or Neurolathyrism is a neurological disease of humans and domestic animals, caused by eating certain legumes of the genus Lathyrus....
, a serious disease.

Selected species

  • Lathyrus angulatus
    Lathyrus angulatus

    Lathyrus angulatus is a species of Lathyrus known by the common name angled pea. It is native to southern Europe and North Africa, and it is known from elsewhere as an introduced species....
     (Angled Pea)
  • Lathyrus annuus (Red Fodder Pea)
  • Lathyrus aureus (Golden Pea)
  • Lathyrus biflorus
    Lathyrus biflorus

    Lathyrus biflorus is a rare species of Lathyrus known by the common name twoflower pea. It is Endemism to Humboldt County, California, where it is known only from the Mount Lassic Wilderness....
     (Twoflower Pea)
  • Lathyrus chloranthus
  • Lathyrus cicera
    Lathyrus cicera

    Lathyrus cicera is a species of Lathyrus known by the common names red pea and flatpod peavine. It is native to Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, and it is known from other places as an introduced species....
     (Red Pea)
  • Lathyrus delnorticus
    Lathyrus delnorticus

    Lathyrus delnorticus is an uncommon species of Lathyrus known by the common name Del Norte pea. It is native to the Klamath Mountains of southern Oregon and northern California, where it is a member of the serpentine soils flora....
     (Del Norte Pea)
  • Lathyrus hirsutus
    Lathyrus hirsutus

    Lathyrus hirsutus is a species of Lathyrus known by several common names, including Caley pea, hairy vetchling, and Austrian winterpea....
     (Hairy Vetchling)
  • Lathyrus japonicus
    Lathyrus japonicus

    Lathyrus japonicus is a legume native to temperate coastal areas of Asia, Europe, North America and South America.It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing trailing stems to 50-80 cm long, typically on sand and gravel storm beaches....
     (Sea Pea)
  • Lathyrus jepsonii
    Lathyrus jepsonii

    Lathyrus jepsonii is a species of Lathyrus known by the common names delta tule pea and Jepson's pea. It is Endemism to California, where it grows in a number of habitat types, including forest and estuary....
     (Delta Tule Pea)
  • Lathyrus lanszwertii
    Lathyrus lanszwertii

    Lathyrus lanszwertii is a species of Lathyrus known by the common names Nevada sweet pea or peavine. It is found in western North America from California to Texas to British Columbia....
     (Nevada Pea)
  • Lathyrus latifolius
    Everlasting pea

    Lathyrus latifolius, the perennial peavine or perennial pea, is a flowering plant of the genus Lathyrus in the legume family Fabaceae....
     (Everlasting Pea)
  • Lathyrus linifolius (Bitter Vetch)
  • Lathyrus littoralis
    Lathyrus littoralis

    Lathyrus littoralis is a species of Lathyrus known by the common name silky beach pea. It is native to the coastline of western North America from British Columbia to California....
     (Silky Beach Pea)
  • Lathyrus nervosus (Lord Anson's Blue Pea)
  • Lathyrus nissolia
    Lathyrus nissolia

    Lathyrus nissolia or Grass Vetchling is a plant species of the genus Lathyrus....
     (Grass Vetchling)
  • Lathyrus odoratus
    Sweet pea

    Sweet Pea is a flowering plant in the genus Lathyrus in the family Fabaceae , native to the eastern Mediterranean region from Sicily east to Crete....
     (Sweet Pea)
  • Lathyrus palustris
    Lathyrus palustris

    Lathyrus palustris is a species of Lathyrus known by the common name marsh pea. It is native to Europe, Asia, and North America. It is a perennial herb with leaves made up of oval-shaped or oblong leaflets a few centimeters long....
     (Marsh Pea)
  • Lathyrus polyphyllus
    Lathyrus polyphyllus

    Lathyrus polyphyllus is a species of Lathyrus known by the common name leafy pea. It is native to the western United States from Washington to northern California, where it grows in forest and other habitat....
     (Leafy Pea)
  • Lathyrus pratensis
    Meadow vetchling

    Lathyrus pratensis or Meadow vetchling, also known as the Meadow Pea and Meadow pea-vine, is a perennial legume that grows to 1.2 m in height....
     (Meadow Vetchling)
  • Lathyrus sativus
    Lathyrus sativus

    Lathyrus sativus, is a legume commonly grown for human consumption and livestock feed in Asia and East Africa. It is a particularly important crop in areas that are prone to drought and famine, and is thought of as an 'insurance crop' as it produces reliable yields when all other crops fail....
     (Indian Pea)
  • Lathyrus splendens
    Lathyrus splendens

    Lathyrus splendens is a species of Lathyrus known by the common names pride of California and Campo pea. It is native to Baja California and its range extends into San Diego County, California, where it grows in the chaparral....
     (Pride of California)
  • Lathyrus sulphureus
    Lathyrus sulphureus

    Lathyrus sulphureus is a species of Lathyrus known by the common names snub pea and sulphur pea. It is native to the mountains of northern California and Oregon, where it grows in forest and woodland....
     (Snub Pea)
  • Lathyrus sylvestris
    Lathyrus sylvestris

    Lathyrus sylvestris or Narrow-leaved Everlasting-pea is a plant species of the genus Lathyrus....
     (Flat Pea-vine)
  • Lathyrus tingitanus
    Lathyrus tingitanus

    Lathyrus tingitanus is a species of Lathyrus known by the common name Tangier pea. It is native to southern Europe and North Africa, and it is present in other regions of the world as an introduced species, including the Pacific Northwest of the United States....
     (Tangier Pea)
  • Lathyrus torreyi
    Lathyrus torreyi

    Lathyrus torreyi is a perennial legume native to wooded regions of the West Coast of the United States. It ranges from as far north as Pierce County, Washington and south to Monterey, California....
     (Torrey's Peavine)
  • Lathyrus tuberosus
    Lathyrus tuberosus

    Lathyrus tuberosus, also known as the Tuberous Pea, Earthnut Pea, or Aardaker, is a small, vine perennial plant, native in moist temperate parts of Europe and western Asia....
     (Tuberous Pea)
  • Lathyrus vestitus
    Lathyrus vestitus

    Lathyrus vestitus is a species of Lathyrus known by the common name Pacific pea. It is native to western North America, where it is mostly found in the forests, woodlands, and chaparral of California....
     (Pacific Pea)