Lathyrus palustris L.
marsh peavine (marsh pea)
Fabaceae (Pea family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
marsh peavine (marsh pea)
Fabaceae (Pea family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial herb from a slender rhizome; stems flanged or winged, climbing, 30-100 cm tall.
Leaves:
Alternate, pinnately compound with 4 to 8 paired or scattered leaflets; leaflets linear to oblong-lanceolate or lance-elliptic, glabrous or hairy, 2-7 cm long, 0.3-2 cm wide; tendrils well developed, usually branched and grasping; stipules lanceolate, at most 1/2 the length of the leaflets, usually 2-lobed.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a loose, stalked, axillary cluster of 2 to 8 pea-like flowers; corollas pink to bluish-purple (rarely white), 12-22 mm long, the banner-claw shorter than the blade, the wings and keel nearly equal to the banner; calyces 8-12 mm long, glabrous to hairy, the upper teeth triangular and shorter than the lanceolate lower teeth.
Fruits:
Pods, 3-6 cm long, 4-6 mm wide, short-hairy or becoming glabrous; seeds 5 to 8.
Illustration
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
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Lathyrus palustris
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
1 | 0 | 5 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
0 | 0 | 2 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
0 | ||
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
5 | 5 | 7 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
15 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
CWH | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
CWH(15) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Tidal marshes and mudflats, moist meadows, beaches, streambanks and lakeshores in the lowland zone; infrequent, scattered in coastal BC; N to AK and S to N CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Lathyrus myrtifolius Muhl. ex Willd.
Lathyrus palustris subsp. pilosus (Cham.) Hultén
Lathyrus palustris var. linearifolius Ser.
Lathyrus palustris var. macranthus (T.G. White) Fernald
Lathyrus palustris var. meridionalis Butters & H. St. John
Lathyrus palustris var. myrtifolius (Muhl. ex Willd.) A. Gray
Lathyrus palustris var. pilosus (Cham.) Ledeb.
Lathyrus palustris var. retusus Fernald & H. St. John
Orobus myrtifolius Alef.