LATHYRUS HIEROSOLYMITANUS

Family and Genus:- See- LEGUMINOSAE

Common Names:- None

Homotypic Synonyms:- Lathyrus annuus var. hierosolymitanus.

Meaning:- Lathyrus (Gr) The ancient name for chickling pea.

Hierosolimitanus (L) From Jerusalem (the Roman name for

Heirosolyma)

General description:- Medium to tall, clambering, hairless annual.

Stem:-

1) 40-150 cm, winged.

Leaves:-

1) Alternate, compound pinnate, with 2 linear leaflets forming "V", like blades of

grass, from 5-15cm length, glabrous, with a much branched central tendril.

2) Stipules, 2, long, less than 1,5 mm across, extremely sharp and herbaceous.

Flowers:-

1) Racemes, 1- to 3-flowered borne in a long stalks.

2) Calyx-teeth, equal, as long as or slightly longer than tube.

3) Corolla, 7-12 mm, yellow or usually pink (drying greyish), often red-veined.

Fruit:-

1) Legume, 6(-7) broad when ripe.

2) Seeds, somewhat rugulose, with elongate, obtuse, not contiguous elevations.

Key features:-

1) Corolla, c. 10 mm.

2) Legume, not more than 7 mm wide.

3) Seeds, rugulose.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Fallow fields, terraced olive groves, along roads and tracks, sometimes in

sandy coastal habitats. 0-850 m.

Distribution:- In Greece not recorded outside the Aegean area. - Scattered from S

Anatolia to Cyprus, W Syria, N Egypt and Cyrenaica. On Crete somewhat

scattered in the C & E areas, not common. A new location on Crete was found at

Nea Kidonia in the west by Christopher Cheiladakis in May 2022.

Flowering time:- Late Mar to May.

Photos by:- Courtesy of Wiki-Commons