Species Detail Forb

Flowers		Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants Lathyrus eucosmus - bush vetching Synonyms: Lathyrus brachycalyx subsp. eucosmus, L. brachycalyx var. eucosmus Other Common Names: bush vetching, bush peavine Plant Form: Forb or Subshrub Family: Fabaceae
Flowers


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Flowers Max Licher @http://swbiodiversity.org, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)	Leaves and flowers Max Licher @http://swbiodiversity.org, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)	Plant Arizona State University Vascular Plant Herbarium, Usage Rights: CC BY-NC (Attribution-Non-Commercial)	Fruit Arizona State University Vascular Plant Herbarium, Usage Rights: CC BY-NC (Attribution-Non-Commercial)

Forb Plant Description

Origin: Native Life Cycle: Perennial Similar Species: Vicia americana
General Desc: Climbing or sprawling perennial; leaflets are leathery in 3 to 4 pairs; purple flowers with whitish wings. Flowers and leaves are much larger than Vicia Americana which also have purple pea-shaped flowers.
Identification notes: Grows close to ground forming tangled clusters of leaf stalks and flower stems; leaf stalks have 6 to 8 narrow leaflets; pea-like flowers have a 2-lobed purple petal at the top (the banner), and a whitish hooded center of smaller petals (the wings).
Height: 1/2 to 1-1/2 feet

Habitat

Habitat Description: Open, dry pinyon woodlands or ponderosa pine forests.
Plant Communities: Pinyon Juniper Woodland, Montane Conifer Forest
Elevation: 5000 - 7000 feet

Flower Characteristics

Color: Purple, whitish Shape: Irregular in elongated clusters Tubular: Y Flowering Period: May - Aug
Description: Purple with whitish wings, 1 inch across in clusters of 2 to 5; sepals 1/2 to 3/4 inch long; bracts very small or absent; mostly in leaf axils.

Leaf and Stem Characteristics

Leaf Color: Green Leaf Type: Simple Leaf Shape: Narrow Leaf Margin: Smooth Leaf Attachment: Alternate Leaves Clasp: N
Hairs: No Spines: N
Leaf Description: Tall stems; 6 to 8 leaflets (pairs of 2), narrow to oval-shaped; up to 2-1/2 inches long; sepals shorter than the flower tube.

Fruit and Seed Characteristics

Fruit Color: Yellowish-green, brown, black
Fruit Type: Pod
Fruit Notes: Legume; long, straight and striped; 3 to 10 seeded.
Seed Notes: Oval to rounded; smooth.


	Arizona Cooperative Extension Yavapai County 840 Rodeo Dr #C Prescott, AZ 86305 (928) 445-6590	Version 8.0 http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailForb.php Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022 Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson Legal Disclaimer