Lathyrus hygrophilus Taub.

Straggling or climbing herb 0·3–2·1 m. long, often considered to be an annual, but no rootstocks preserved and, judging by the woody bases of some stems and several field notes, probably always a perennial.. Stems much branched, at first usually pubescent, later glabrous, sometimes with sparse to dense small red glands.. Leaves 2-foliolate; leaflets linear to elliptic or lanceolate, 1·1–7 cm. long, 0·15–1·4 cm. wide, acute to narrowly rounded but mucronulate at the apex, cuneate at the base, glabrous to pubescent and often with pale dots on both surfaces; petiole 0·2–2 cm. long, generally terminated by an unbranched tendril; stipules narrowly semisagittate, 0·5–1·2 cm. long, the lobes narrow.. Flowers solitary or, less often, paired; peduncle 0·2–2 cm. long; pedicels (3–)4–6 mm. long, the rhachis not pro-longed into an awn-like bract.. Calyx pubescent; tube 3–3·5 mm. long; lobes triangular or lanceolate, 2–4 mm. long.. Corolla white, pink or purplish; standard often with pink or purple veins, obovate-oblong, 0·8–1·4 cm. long, 6·5–10 mm. wide.. Pods linear-oblong, compressed, 4–5 cm. long, 4·5–6·5 mm. wide, glabrous to pubescent or ciliate only along the margins; valves with scarcely evident reticulate venation.. Seeds dark brown or purplish-brown, subglobose, somewhat compressed, 2·5–3 mm. in diameter.. Fig. 155.