LATHYRUS CLYMENUM

Family and Genus:- See- LEGUMINOSAE

Common Name:- Crimson pea

Homotypic Synonyms:- Lathyrus purpureus, Lathyrus tuntassi.

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

Clymenum (Gr) From the ancient Greek name periclymenum for a

climbing plant.

General description:- Medium to tall glabrous, scrambling annual.

Stem:-

1) 30-80 cm tall, sparingly branched, winged.

Leaves:-

1) With a broad leaf-like petiole and rhachis.

2) Lower, linear-lanceolate, without leaflets.

3) Upper, with 2-4(-5) pairs of leaflets.

4) Leaflets, 20-60(-80) x (3-)6-11(-20) mm, linear to elliptical or lanceolate.

5) Stipules, 9-18 x 2-6 mm, linear to ovate, semi-hastate.

Flowers:-

1) Racemes, 1- to 5-flowered.

2) Calyx-teeth, equal, shorter than the tube.

3) Corolla, 16-20 mm,

a) standard, purplish-red or crimson.

b) wings, lilac-blue.

4) Style, with an inflexed-aristate tip.

Fruit:-

1) Legume, 30-70 x 5-12 mm, brown, glabrous, channelled on the dorsal suture, not

torulose.

2) Seeds, 5-7, smooth; hilum 1/7-1/6 of the circumference.

Key features:-

1) Upper leaves, with 2-4 pairs of leaflets.

2) Corolla, purple with violet, lilac, white or pink wings.

3) Legume, dorsal suture of not winged, channeled.

4) Standard, distinctly notched.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Open dry shrubby vegetation, olive groves, rocky places in gorges and

margins of cultivated fields. 0-800(-1300) m.

Distribution:- Coastal areas throughout Greece, lacking in the interior. -

Widespread in the Mediterranean region eastwards to Anatolia. On Crete found

mainly central south and to the east.

Flowering time:- Apr-May.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton