Relatives
Lathyrus aleuticus (Greene) Pobed. - Aleutian grass pea.
Taxonomic position.
Family Fabaceae Lindl., genus Lathyrus L.Synonyms.
L. maritimus subsp. aleuticus Greene; L. japonicus Willd. subsp. pubescens Korobkov).Morphology and biology.
A perennial plant 15-20 cm in height. Stems are branchy, prostrate, pubescent by thin, bent hairs. Leaves consist of 3-4 pairs of leaflets. The leaf axis culminates in a simple, bent, short antennae 1-1.5 cm the in length. Leaflets are 10-20 mm in length, 5-9 mm in width, elliptical, slightly pubescent or bare on the underside. Stipules are semi-sagittate, wide, large, and shorter than leaflets. Flowers are 2.4-2.6 cm in length, bright violet-red; there are 3-4 flowers in every inflorescence. Calyx is widely campanulate, pubescent by short hairs; its top denticles have ovate-lanceolate form; bottom ones are lanceolate. Top denticles are half as long as the bottom ones. Pods are 4-5 cm in length, linearly oblong; young pods are covered with short hairs, while mature ones are either pubescent or bare. Blossoms in July; fructifies in August.Distribution.
Distributed throughout Northern Europe, the North of the Far East, the North of Eastern Siberia, and northern North America. Within the former USSR, the species occurs throuhgout the northern European part, the north of the Far East, and Eastern Siberia at the mouth of the river Kunga (Yakutia).Ecology.
Occurs on sandy and stony seacoasts.Use and economic value.
Fodder (green parts of plants).References:
Cherepanov, S.K. 1995. Plantae Vasculares Rossicae et Civitatum Collimitanearum (in limicis USSR olim). St. Petersburg, Mir I Semia, 990 p. (in Russian).Kharkevich S.S., ed. 1989. Vascular plants of the Soviet Far East. Vol. 4. Leningrad: Nauka, 380 p. (in Russian).
Polozhij A.V., Malyshev L.I., eds. 1994. Flora of Siberia. Vol. 9. Fabaceae (Leguminosae). Novosibirsk: Nauka, 280 p. (in Russian).
Shishkin B.K., Bobrov E.G., eds. 1948. Flora of the USSR. Vol. 13. M.-L.: Publishing House of Acad. Science, p.444-445. (in Russian).