Lathyrus
Lathyrus  is a genus of flowering plants
in the legume family Fabaceae, and contains approximately 160 species. Commonly known as peavines or vetchlings, they are native to temperate areas, with a breakdown of 52 species in Europe, 30 species in North America, 78 in Asia, 24 in tropical East Africa, and 24 in temperate South America. There are annual and perennial species which may be climbing or bushy.  This genus has numerous sections, including Orobus, which was once a separate genus. The genus has numerous synonyms, including Pisum, the ancient Latin name for the pea.

Uses
Several species are grown for food, including the pea (Lathyrus oleraceus), Indian pea (L. sativus), and the red pea (L. cicera), and less commonly cyprus-vetch (L. ochrus) and Spanish vetchling (L. clymenum). The tuberous pea (L. tuberosus) is grown as a root vegetable for its starchy edible tuber. The seeds of some Lathyrus species contain the toxic amino acid oxalyldiaminopropionic acid and if eaten in large quantities can cause lathyrism, a serious disease.

Many species are cultivated as garden plants. The genus includes the garden sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) and the perennial everlasting pea (Lathyrus latifolius). Flowers on these cultivated species may be rose, red, maroon, pink, white, yellow, purple or blue, and some are bicolored. They are also grown for their fragrance. Cultivated species are susceptible to fungal infections including downy and powdery mildew.

Species

181 species are currently accepted.

Lathyrus acutifolius 
Lathyrus alamutensis 
Lathyrus alpestris 
Lathyrus amphicarpos 
Lathyrus angulatus  – angled pea
Lathyrus anhuiensis 
Lathyrus annuus  – red fodder pea
Lathyrus apenninus 
Lathyrus aphaca  – yellow pea
Lathyrus armenus 
Lathyrus articulatus 
Lathyrus atropatanus 
Lathyrus aureus  – golden pea
Lathyrus basalticus 
Lathyrus bauhini 
Lathyrus belinensis 
Lathyrus berteroanus 
Lathyrus biflorus  – twoflower pea
Lathyrus bijugus  – drypark pea
Lathyrus binatus 
Lathyrus bitlisicus 
Lathyrus blepharicarpos  – ciliate vetchling
Lathyrus boissieri 
Lathyrus brachycalyx  – Bonneville pea
Lathyrus brachyodon 
Lathyrus brachypterus 
Lathyrus brownii 
Lathyrus cabrerianus 
Lathyrus campestris 
Lathyrus cassius 
Lathyrus caudatus 
Lathyrus chloranthus 
Lathyrus chrysanthus 
Lathyrus cicera  – red pea
Lathyrus ciliatidentatus 
Lathyrus cilicicus 
Lathyrus ciliolatus 
Lathyrus cirpicii 
Lathyrus cirrhosus 
Lathyrus clymenum  – Spanish vetchling
Lathyrus colchicus 
Lathyrus crassipes  – arvejilla
Lathyrus cyaneus 
Lathyrus czeczottianus 
Lathyrus davidii 
Lathyrus decaphyllus  – prairie vetchling
Lathyrus delnorticus  – Del Norte pea
Lathyrus dielsianus 
Lathyrus digitatus 
Lathyrus elegans 
Lathyrus elongatus 
Lathyrus emodi 
Lathyrus eucosmus  – seemly vetchling, bush vetchling
Lathyrus filiformis 
Lathyrus fissus 
Lathyrus formosus  – Vavilovia
Lathyrus frolovii 
Lathyrus fulvus 
Lathyrus glandulosus 
Lathyrus gloeosperma 
Lathyrus gmelinii 
Lathyrus golanensis 
Lathyrus gorgoni 
Lathyrus graminifolius  – grassleaf pea
Lathyrus grandiflorus  – twoflower everlasting pea
Lathyrus grimesii  – Grimes' pea
Lathyrus hallersteinii 
Lathyrus hasslerianus 
Lathyrus heterophyllus  – Norfolk everlasting pea
Lathyrus hierosolymitanus 
Lathyrus hirsutus  – hairy vetchling
Lathyrus hirticarpus 
Lathyrus hitchcockianus  – Bullfrog Mountain pea
Lathyrus holochlorus  – thinleaf pea
Lathyrus hookeri 
Lathyrus humilis 
Lathyrus hygrophilus 
Lathyrus inconspicuus 
Lathyrus incurvus 
Lathyrus japonicus  – sea pea, beach pea
Lathyrus jepsonii  – delta tule pea
Lathyrus karsianus 
Lathyrus ketzkhovelii 
Lathyrus komarovii 
Lathyrus krylovii 
Lathyrus laetivirens  – aspen pea
Lathyrus laevigatus 
Lathyrus lanszwertii  – Nevada pea
 Lathyrus lanszwertii var. aridus 
 Lathyrus lanszwertii var. arizonicus 
 Lathyrus lanszwertii var. bijugatus (syn. Lathyrus bijugatus ) – drypark pea
 Lathyrus lanszwertii var. lanszwertii
 Lathyrus lanszwertii var. pallescens 
Lathyrus latifolius  – everlasting pea, perennial pea
Lathyrus laxiflorus 
Lathyrus lentiformis 
Lathyrus leptophyllus 
Lathyrus libani  – Lebanon vetchling
Lathyrus linearifolius 
Lathyrus linifolius  – bitter vetch, heath pea
Lathyrus littoralis  – silky beach pea
Lathyrus lomanus 
Lathyrus lycicus 
Lathyrus macropus 
Lathyrus macrostachys 
Lathyrus magellanicus 
Lathyrus marmoratus 
Lathyrus meridensis 
Lathyrus miniatus 
Lathyrus mulkak 
Lathyrus multiceps 
Lathyrus multijugus 
Lathyrus nervosus  – Lord Anson's blue pea
Lathyrus neurolobus 
Lathyrus nevadensis  – Sierra pea
Lathyrus niger  – black pea
Lathyrus nigrivalvis 
Lathyrus nissolia  – grass vetchling
Lathyrus nitens 
Lathyrus nivalis 
Lathyrus numidicus 
Lathyrus ochroleucus  – cream pea
Lathyrus ochrus  – Cyprus-vetch
Lathyrus odoratus  – sweet pea
Lathyrus oleraceus  – pea
Lathyrus pallescens 
Lathyrus palustris  – marsh pea
Lathyrus pancicii 
Lathyrus pannonicus 
Lathyrus paraguariensis 
Lathyrus paranensis 
Lathyrus parodii 
Lathyrus pauciflorus  – fewflower pea
Lathyrus pisiformis 
Lathyrus polyphyllus  – leafy pea
Lathyrus pratensis  – meadow vetchling
Lathyrus pseudocicera 
Lathyrus pubescens 
Lathyrus pusillus  – tiny pea, singletary vetchling
Lathyrus pygmaeus 
Lathyrus quinquenervius 
Lathyrus rigidus  – stiff pea
Lathyrus roseus 
Lathyrus rotundifolius 
Lathyrus satdaghensis 
Lathyrus sativus  – Indian pea, white pea, chickling vetch
Lathyrus saxatilis 
Lathyrus sericeus 
Lathyrus setifolius 
Lathyrus spathulatus 
Lathyrus speciosus 
Lathyrus sphaericus  – grass pea
Lathyrus splendens  – pride of California
Lathyrus stenolobus 
Lathyrus stenophyllus 
Lathyrus subandinus 
Lathyrus subulatus 
Lathyrus sulphureus  – snub pea
Lathyrus sylvestris  – flat pea
Lathyrus tauricola 
Lathyrus tefennicus 
Lathyrus tingitanus  – Tangier pea
Lathyrus torreyi  – Torrey's peavine
Lathyrus × tournefortii 
Lathyrus trachycarpus 
Lathyrus tracyi 
Lathyrus transsylvanicus 
Lathyrus tremolsianus 
Lathyrus tropicalandinus 
Lathyrus tuberosus  – tuberous pea
Lathyrus tukhtensis 
Lathyrus undulatus  – wavy pea
Lathyrus vaniotii  – Korean mountain vetchling
Lathyrus venetus 
Lathyrus venosus  – veiny pea, bushy vetchling
Lathyrus vernus  – spring pea
Lathyrus vestitus  – Pacific pea
Lathyrus vinealis 
Lathyrus vivantii 
Lathyrus whitei 
Lathyrus woronowii 
Lathyrus zalaghensis

Ecology
Lathyrus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including the grey chi (Antitype chi) and the latticed heath (Chiasmia clathrata), both recorded on meadow vetchling (Lathyrus pratensis), and Chionodes braunella. Lathyrus growth abundance and size both decrease in response to increased temperatures in montane meadows.

Notes

External links
 
  Calflora Database: Lathyrus species index
 Jepson Flora Project: Key to Lathyrus

 
Fabaceae genera
Garden plants
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus