Lathyrus jepsonii

Taxobox
name = "Lathyrus jepsonii"


image_width = 250px
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Fabales
familia = Fabaceae
subfamilia = Faboideae
genus = "Lathyrus"
species = "L. jepsonii"
binomial = "Lathyrus jepsonii"
binomial_authority = Greene

"Lathyrus jepsonii" is a species of wild pea known by the common names delta tule pea and Jepson's pea. It is endemic to California, where it grows in a number of habitat types, including forest and estuary. This is a perennial herb with a long, winged stem which climbs by means of branched, coiled tendrils. The leaves are made up of several pairs of lance-shaped leaflets. The plant bears an inflorescence of up to 15 pink or purplish flowers each up to 2 centimeters wide. The fruit is a hairless, dehiscent legume pod. There are two varieties of this species. "L. j." var. "californicus" is a smaller plant which is sometimes hairy, while the rare var. "jepsonii" can exceed two meters in height and is hairless. The latter is a rare variety which grows in the estuary habitat of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the origin of the common name delta tule pea.

External links

* [http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?3691,3922,3933 Jepson Manual Treatment]
* [http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=LAJE USDA Plants Profile]
* [http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?query_src=photos_index&where-taxon=Lathyrus+jepsonii Photo gallery]