Lathyrus

Genus of plants in legume family Fabaceae; toxin is 3-aminopropionitrile; causes neurological disease, including excitability, convulsions and death without skeletal lesions; includes L. angulatus, L. aphaca, L. cicera, L. clymenum, L. hookeri, L. latifolius, L. nissolia (grass vetchling), L. polymorphus subsp. incanus, L. pusillus (singletary pea), L. sativus, L. splendens (Pride of California), L. sylvestris, L. tingitatus (Tangier pea).

• L. hirsutus — causes poisoning in cattle, the main sign being lameness due to pain in the feet. Called also Kaley pea, wild winter pea, Indian pea.
• L. odoratus — the ornamental sweetpea, of which the seeds cause skeletal abnormality when fed experimentally; may cause equine stringhalt.

La'thi-russ. An important group of over 100 species chiefly from the north temperate zone, several widely grown for ornament.

Description
Most cultivated species are tendril-bearing, vinelike plants, usually with winged or angled stems. Leaves alternate, compound, the leaflets usually few. Flowers typically pealike, often showy, especially in the cultivated strains of the Sweet Pea. Fruit a flattish pod.

How to Grow
For the species below, sow seeds as soon as the soil can be worked. Only a short show of color can be enjoyed before very hot weather kills the vine. To lengthen the season, apply a mulch of clear plastic over the prepared soil in late winter. Plant seeds through small slits in the plastic, 4-5 seeds every 1 ft. (30 cm); cover with soil in. (13 mm) deep. When plants are ankle high, spread grass clippings over the plastic to shade out weeds. Provide support for the tall types. In areas with mild winters, plant in late fall for spring bloom. Winter bloom only in very protected areas in the West and coastal Fla. Prefers cool weather.

Lathyrus odoratus
Sweet Pea . Vinelike, 4-6 ft. (1.2-1.8 m) long. Flowers fragrant, 3-5 (rarely 7), often 2 in. (5 cm) wide, in clusters; many colors now cultivated, perhaps originally only purple. Pod 2 in. (5 cm) long, hairy. Italy. About 50 cultivars, including compact, nonclimbing dwarfs, early flowering types, and some heat-resistant varieties. Hardy annual.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: genus of climbing herbs of Old World and temperate North and South America: vetchling; wild pea
  Synonym: genus Lathyrus

Sweet peas
Grass Vetchling, Lathyrus nissolia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Faboideae
Tribe:	Fabeae
Genus:	Lathyrus L.
Species
See text.

Lathyrus (pronounced /ˈlæθɨrəs/)^[1] 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 tropical East Africa, and 24 in temperate South America.^[2] There are annual and perennial species which may be climbing or bushy. This genus has numerous sections, including Orobus, which was once a separate genus.^[3]

Contents 1 Genus 2 Other species 3 Selected species 4 Notes 5 External links

Genus

The genus includes the garden sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) and the perennial everlasting pea (Lathyrus latifolius). Flowers 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. Lathyrus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Grey Chi, Latticed Heath (both recorded on Meadow Vetchling) and Chionodes braunella.

Other species

Other species are grown for food, including L. sativus and L. cicera, and less commonly L. ochrus and L. clymenum. L. tuberosus is grown as a root vegetable for its starchy edible tuber.

The seeds of some Lathyrus species contain a toxic amino acid and if eaten in large quantities can cause lathyrism, a serious disease.^[4]

Selected species

• Lathyrus angulatus (Angled Pea)
• Lathyrus annuus (Red Fodder Pea)
• Lathyrus aphaca (Yellow Pea)
• Lathyrus aureus (Golden Pea)
  

  

  Golden Pea (Lathyrus aureus)
• Lathyrus biflorus (Twoflower Pea)
• Lathyrus chloranthus
• Lathyrus cicera (Red Pea)
• Lathyrus delnorticus (Del Norte Pea)
• Lathyrus hirsutus (Hairy Vetchling)
• Lathyrus japonicus (Sea Pea)
• Lathyrus jepsonii (Delta Tule Pea)
• Lathyrus lanszwertii (Nevada Pea)
• Lathyrus latifolius (Everlasting Pea)
• Lathyrus linifolius (Bitter Vetch)
• Lathyrus littoralis (Silky Beach Pea)
• Lathyrus nervosus (Lord Anson's Blue Pea)
• Lathyrus nissolia (Grass Vetchling)
• Lathyrus odoratus (Sweet Pea)
• Lathyrus palustris (Marsh Pea)
  

  

  Lathyrus pauciflorus
• Lathyrus pauciflorus (Fewflower Pea)
• Lathyrus polyphyllus (Leafy Pea)
• Lathyrus pratensis (Meadow Vetchling)
  

  

  Lathyrus vernus
• Lathyrus rigidus (Stiff Pea)
• Lathyrus sativus (Indian Pea)
• Lathyrus sphaericus (Grass Pea)
• Lathyrus splendens (Pride of California)
• Lathyrus sulphureus (Snub Pea)
• Lathyrus sylvestris (Flat Pea-vine)
• Lathyrus tingitanus (Tangier Pea)
• Lathyrus torreyi (Torrey's Peavine)
• Lathyrus tuberosus (Tuberous Pea)
• Lathyrus vestitus (Pacific Pea)
• Lathyrus vernus (Spring Pea)

Notes

1. ^ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
2. ^ Asmussen, Conny B; Liston, Aaron (March 1998). "Chloroplast DNA Characters, Phylogeny, and Classification of Lathyrus (Fabaceae)". American Journal of Botany 85 (3): 387. doi:10.2307/2446332. 
3. ^ Fred, Edwin Broun; Baldwin, Ira Lawrence; McCoy, Elizabeth (1932). Root Nodule Bacteria and Leguminous Plants. UW-Madison Libraries Parallel Press. pp. 142. ISBN 1-893311-28-7. 
4. ^ Mark V. Barrow; Charles F. Simpson; Edward J. Miller (1974). "Lathyrism: A Review". The Quarterly Review of Biology 49 (2): 101–128. doi:10.1086/408017. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0033-5770%28197406%2949%3A2%3C101%3ALAR%3E2.0.CO%3B2-%232. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lathyrus

Wikispecies has information related to: Lathyrus

• Jepson Manual Treatment

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