Lathyrus tuberosus

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Lathyrus tuberosus
flowers and flower buds
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Tribe: Vicieae
Genus: Lathyrus
Species: L. tuberosus
Binomial name
Lathyrus tuberosus
L.

Lathyrus tuberosus, also known as the Tuberous Pea, Tuberous Vetchling,[1] Earthnut Pea, or Aardaker, is a small, climbing perennial plant, native in moist temperate parts of Europe and Western Asia.

The plant is a trailer or weak climber, supported by tendrils, growing to 1.2 m tall. The leaves are pinnate, with two leaflets and a branched twining tendril at the apex of the petiole. Its flowers are hermaphroditic, pollinated by bees. The plants can also spread vegetatively from the root system.

[edit] Cultivation and uses

It is occasionally grown as a root vegetable for its edible tuber. The sweet, starchy tubers are edible cooked or raw. Although palatable and nutritious, the crop is hampered by low productivity.

The plant is attractive and susceptible to slugs but is considered a noxious weed in Ontario.[2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Tuberous Vetchling, Ontario Wildflowers
  2. ^ Tuberous vetchling, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

[edit] External links


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