Everlasting Pea

Everlasting Pea (Lathyrus latifolius)

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Everlasting Pea (Lathyrus latifolius)

The wildflower Everlasting Pea (Lathyrus latifolius) is a member of the Fabaceae or Bean family.  It is closely related to, although not as showy and perfumed as, the better known domestic Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus).  The resemblance is that close that in some parts of the country the it is actually called the Everlasting Sweet Pea.

This member of the bean family is a trailing or climbing perennial with broadly-winged stems which grow up to 7-feet in length.  The leaves have 2 elliptical to lance-shaped leaflets which can be up to 3-inches long.  Between the leaflets is the tendril which the plant uses to climb the adjacent vegetation.  The flowers are reddish-purple to pink or sometimes white and grow to 1.2-inches long.  They occur in a raceme of between 4 and 11 flowers each.  This is a native of Southern Europe that escaped and is now well established in waste places.  It can be found throughout the US and Canada excepting in the high altitudes and the far north of Canada.  Like its domestic counterpart, the this plant flowers throughout the summer and often into early autumn.

Summary

Article Name

Everlasting Pea

Description

The wildflower Everlasting Pea (Lathyrus latifolius) is closely related to the better known domestic Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus)

Author

Mark Summerfield

Publisher Name

Mark Summerfield

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