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Lathyrus sphaericus
Also called Slender Wild Pea, Round Seed Vetchling, Round Seeded Vetchling, Round Pea, Grass Peavine, Grass Vetchling
Grass pea (Lathyrus sphaericus) is a small, slender annual climbing legume from the pea family, typically 15 to 30 cm tall, with brick-red flowers. It is a short-lived, opportunistic plant of dry, disturbed ground, so it does best in warm, sunny, lean and well-drained conditions.
Lathyrus sphaericus, commonly known as grass pea and round-seeded vetchling, is a species of annual flowering plant in the legume family (Fabaceae). It typically grows to between 15 and 30 centimetres tall and bears distinctive brick-red flowers. The species is native primarily to Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean regions, ranging widely from southern Europe and North Africa to Western Asia. It favours dry, nutrient-rich soils and is commonly found in disturbed habitats, including roadsides, vineyards, fields, and pasturelands. Recently rediscovered in Slovakia after a lengthy absence, it is considered critically endangered there, reflecting ongoing changes in its distribution likely influenced by climate warming.
Lathyrus sphaericus typically grows in warm, moderately sunny locations. It favours loamy-clay soils, which can be unstable at times, and are either calcareous (containing calcium carbonate) or non-calcareous but generally nutrient-rich and dry. The species is often short-lived and opportunistic, commonly found along roadsides, in disturbed areas, vineyards, waste grounds, fields, fallow lands, and extensively grazed sheep pastures. It can also grow at the edges of dry oak forests and shrubby areas, as well as in dry, patchy grasslands. In Switzerland, its elevational range extends from about 380 to 1030 metres, while in Italy it occurs from sea level up to 1200 metres.
Angled pea · Yellow pea · Golden Pea · Red pea · Lathyrus fulvus · Everlasting-Pea · Caley pea · Beach pea · Perennial pea · Sweet pea · Round-leaved vetchling · White pea
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lathyrus sphaericus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
