perennial pea
Family
FabaceaeScientific Name
Lathyrus latifolius
Other Common Names:
everlasting peavine
broad-leaved everlasting pea
perennial peavine
sweetpea
everlasting pea
perennial sweetpea
Synonyms (former Scientific Names):
Lathyrus latifolius var. splendens
Habit
A vine that grows from 5-6 feet tall, blooms from June to August, and climbs or crawls on the ground with twining tendrils.
Leaves
Leaves are arranged opposite and are flat to slightly folded, blue-green in color, 4-8 in by 1- 1 1/2 in, and have an apical tendril. Stems and leaf petioles have thin, leafy wings. Leaves lack hairs.
Identifying Characteristics
The large, showy flowers and the opposite pair of leaflets with a terminal tendril easily identify this plant from others.
Flower Seed Head
Flowers are pink, purple, or white, 1 inch long, large, and bloom from mid-summer to fall. They are arranged in loose clusters at the end of a long flower stalk.
Seed Fruit
Fruit is a pitted, white achene that is reddish brown to dark brown, broadly ellipsoid, and 1.2-1.5 mm by 0.7-0.8 mm long. Seeds ripen from August to October.
Where Found
Fields, roadsides, waste places, meadows, woodlands, sunny edges, dappled shades, shady edges, and ground covers.
Growth Habit
Varies:
upright and nonwoody,
vine
Thorns or Spines
not present
Approximate Flower Diameter
Varies:
dime,
nickle,
quarter
Dominant Flower Color
Varies:
white,
purple,
red,
pink
Flower Symmetry
bilateral symmetry
Leaf Hairs
no hairs
Leaf Shape
lance
Leaf Arrangement
opposite
Leaf Margin
entire
Leaf Structure
simple
Leaf Stalk
shorter than leaf
Stem Hairs
no hairs
Stem Cross Section
round or oval
Milky Sap
not present
Root Structure
Varies:
fibrous,
taproot
Life Cycle
perennial
Ochrea
not present
Plant Type
Herb