Botanical name:

Lathyrus odoratus

Common name:

Sweet pea

Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus) is a flowering plant in the genus Lathyrus in the family Fabaceae (legumes), native to the eastern Mediterranean region from Sicily east to Crete. It is an annual climbing plant, growing to a height of 1-2 m where suitable support is available. The leaves are pinnate with two leaflets and a terminal tendril, this twining round supporting plants to help it climb. The flowers are purple, 2-3.5 cm broad, in the wild plant, larger and very variable in colour in the many cultivars. Unlike most peas, the seeds of the sweet pea are poisonous as they contain a neurotoxin, and should not be eaten. The illness caused by the ingestion of sweet peas is known as odoratism, or sweet pea lathyrism.