Lathyrus sphaericus
Encyclopedia
Lathyrus sphaericus is a species of wild pea
known by the common name grass pea. It is native to Eurasia and much of Africa, and it is known on other continents as an introduced species
. It can grow in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas. This is an annual herb producing a slender stem and bearing leaves each made up of two long, narrow, grasslike leaflets up to 6 centimeters long and a coiling, climbing tendril
. The inflorescence
is made up of one pea flower on a stalk one or two centimeters long ending a in a bristle. The flower is roughly a centimeter long and deep orange-red or dull red in color. The fruit is a hairless legume pod marked with longitudinal stripes.
Lathyrus
Lathyrus is a genus of flowering plant species known as sweet peas and vetchlings. Lathyrus is in the legume family Fabaceae and contains approximately 160 species. They are native to temperate areas, with a breakdown of 52 species in Europe, 30 species in North America, 78 in Asia, 24 in...
known by the common name grass pea. It is native to Eurasia and much of Africa, and it is known on other continents as an introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
. It can grow in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas. This is an annual herb producing a slender stem and bearing leaves each made up of two long, narrow, grasslike leaflets up to 6 centimeters long and a coiling, climbing tendril
Tendril
In botany, a tendril is a specialized stem, leaf or petiole with a threadlike shape that is used by climbing plants for support, attachment and cellular invasion by parasitic plants, generally by twining around suitable hosts. They do not have a lamina or blade, but they can photosynthesize...
. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is made up of one pea flower on a stalk one or two centimeters long ending a in a bristle. The flower is roughly a centimeter long and deep orange-red or dull red in color. The fruit is a hairless legume pod marked with longitudinal stripes.