Pea Family [Fabaceae] |
status
flower
flower
flower
morph
petals
stem
stem
2014, Swanage, Poole, England. | Photo: © Peter Andrews |
Flowers in singles on the end of a very long and thin branch. |
2014, Swanage, Poole, England. | Photo: © Peter Andrews |
The flower stalk is however quite short, brownish, and joins the long thin branch where two grossly-unequal bracts splay out. |
6th June 2019, Durlston Country Pk, Swanage, Dorset. | Photo: © Jill Stevens |
The leaves look very grass-like, hence the name, but there is a difference - these leaves are a slightly brighter green than the surrounding grass leaves - at least for the grass in this photo. It grows up to 90cm high. |
5th July 2015, Rimrose Valley Pk, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
With leaves so indistinguishable from those of grass as to be almost un-findable in grassland (its habitat) without the presence of the crimson-red flowers. |
5th July 2015, Rimrose Valley Pk, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Full-frontal of flower: large banner in foreground, two shorter wings partially hiding between two smaller pale-pink to white keels which in their turn hide the stigma and stamens. Hairless apart from short thinner flower petiole (stalk). |
5th July 2015, Rimrose Valley Pk, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Reverse view shows that the pale-pink to white keels are quite long and not well hidden. |
5th July 2015, Rimrose Valley Pk, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Distinctly kinked flower presentation by means of the off-axis wedding of the stalk to the sepal tube. The flower itself also has a pronounced curve. Sepal tube has 5 teeth as is usual in the Fabaceae family. Two tiny stipules on main stalk where the thinner upwardly-curved flower petiole emerges. |
5th July 2015, Rimrose Valley Pk, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Seed pods straight-ish and narrow and between 30 - 60mm long. The leaves, which are up to 15cm long, are very grass-like, being a simple blade with two tiny stipules at the base (not shown). |
5th July 2015, Rimrose Valley Pk, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Only the seed pod on the left belongs to Grass Vetchling; the other shorter and fatter seed pod belongs to a Tare, possibly Hairy Tare (Vicia hirsuta). |
2014, Swanage, Poole, England. | Photo: © Peter Andrews |
The grass-like leaves and the long thin branch at which the single flower is attached at the far end. The leaf emerges at the junction of flowering stem and has 5 paler longitudinal stripes. |
Similar to :
Distinguishing Feature : The deep-red pea-type flower together with the grass-like leaf blade with tiny usually inconspicuous stipules at the base. Lacking tendrils and without wings on the stem. Stem hollow and square-ish... A native growing in grassy places. It is local in both England and between South Wales and North Lincolnshire. Frequent only in the south it is a rare casual elsewhere. |
Lathyrus | nissolia | ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ | Fabaceae |
Lathyrus (Peas) |
Pea Family [Fabaceae] |