General:
Perennial herb from a rhizome; stems climbing, 0.8-2 m long, broadly winged, glabrous.

Leaves:
Alternate, pinnately compound with 2 leaflets; leaflets lance-elliptic to narrowly egg-shaped, up to 15 cm long and 5 cm wide; tendrils well developed, grasping; stipules broadly lance- to egg-shaped, 3-5 cm long, 2-lobed, the upper lobe 2-3 times as long as the lower.

Flowers:
Inflorescence a stalked, axillary cluster of 5 to 15 pea-like flowers; corollas magenta-pink, rarely white, 15-20 mm long, the banner-claw about 2/3 as long as the blade, the wings shorter than the banner but longer than the keel; calyces 8-12 mm long, the lanceolate teeth nearly as long as the tube.

Fruits:
Pods, 6-10 cm long, 7-10 mm wide, glabrous; seeds 10 to 25.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Illustration Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Lathyrus latifolius var. splendens Groenl. & Rümpler