Lathyrus tingitanus
Encyclopedia
Lathyrus tingitanus is a species of wild pea
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. This is an annual herb producing a winged stem which climbs by means of coiled tendril
s. The leaves are each made up of two leaflike linear leaflets a few centimeters long. The inflorescence
has two or three pea flowers in varying shades of red, each up to 3 centimeters wide. The fruit is a hairless dehiscent
legume pod.
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 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
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...
, including the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
of the United States. This is an annual herb producing a winged stem which climbs by means of coiled 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...
s. The leaves are each made up of two leaflike linear leaflets a few centimeters long. 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...
has two or three pea flowers in varying shades of red, each up to 3 centimeters wide. The fruit is a hairless dehiscent
Dehiscence (botany)
Dehiscence is the opening, at maturity, in a pre-defined way, of a plant structure, such as a fruit, anther, or sporangium, to release its contents. Sometimes this involves the complete detachment of a part. Structures that open in this way are said to be dehiscent...
legume pod.