Lathyrus sphaericus

Grass peavine

Family: Fabaceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Grass peavine is a naturalized annual found in the California Floristic Province in disturbed places at elevations below 1,000 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces orange-red flowers about 8 to 14 millimeters long on slender stems. Growing with delicate tendrils and glabrous stems, it forms a slender climbing habit typical of pea-like plants. Its leaves feature two linear to narrowly lanceolate leaflets 2 to 6 centimeters long, accompanied by small, narrow stipules. The plant produces smooth fruits with distinct longitudinal veining, characteristic of its pea family lineage.

Habitat: Uncommon. Disturbed places

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: < 1000 m

Bioregions: CA-FP

California counties: Sonoma, Butte, Orange, Mendocino, Marin, San Mateo, Humboldt, Napa, Shasta, Monterey

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.