Relatives
Lathyrus japonicus Willd. - Japanese grasspea.
Taxonomic position.
Family: Fabaceae Lindl.; genus: Lathyrus L.Main synonyms:
Pisum maritimumL.;L. maritimus Bigel.Morphology and biology.
A perennial gray-green plant up to 50 cm in height with a thin branchy creeping rootstock. Stem is branchy, ascending, proerased, acies. Stipules are semisagittate, 15-25 mm in length, 6-20 mm in width, smooth-edged or dentate. Leaves consist usually of (3) 4-5 (6) pairs of the prololg or elliptic leaflets. The leaf axis comes to an end by simple or boughy short antenna, at the inferior leaves - by spine. Peduncles together with flower racemes are approximately equal to leaves. Raceme is loose, with 3-5 flowers. Calyx is widely - campanulate. A tube of calyx is 4-5 mm in length. Cup denticles have unequal form: 4 top ones are 4-5 mm in length, lanceolate, with the wide base, inferior ones - 5-7 mm in length, narrow-lanceolate. Carolla is 22-25 mm in length, lilac. Flag is round-oval, on long klew. Wings and keel length are almost equal. Pods are oblong, compressed from sides, 40-50 mm in length, 8-12 mm in width, with 5-9 seeds. Valves of pods - with oblique-mesh veins. Seeds are round, compressed from sides, matte, dark brown. The hilum is equal 1/4 parts of a circle of a seed. 2n=14. Blossoms in July, fructifies in August.Distribution.
The general distribution: the Russian Far East, Korea, Japan. In terrain of the former USSR: the Far East.Ecology.
On sandy seacoast.Use and economic value.
A forage plant of average advantage.References:
Cherepanov, S.K. 1995. Plantae Vasculares Rossicae et Civitatum Collimitanearum (in limicis USSR olim). St-Petersburg, "Mir I Semia", 990 p. (in Russian).The Arctic flora of the USSR, 1986. Leguminosae, Vol. IX, part 2. - L.: Nauka, p. 171-174. (in Russian).
Vascular plants of the Soviet Far East, 1989. S.S. Kharkevitch (ed.). - L.: Nauka, Vol. 4, p. 313. (in Russian).