Common name:
Bitter vetch
Family:
Scientific name:
Lathyrus linifolius
Main flower color:
Range:
Locally common across most of the UK
Height:
Up to 50 cm
Habitat:
Grassland, woodland, heaths, scrub, often on more acidic soils
Flowers:
In clusters of up to 6. The calyx is greenish-purple, while the petals are yellow in bud, pink to red or purple when fully open, becoming blue or green as they age. Petals are crossed by darker, branched veins
Fruit:
Rounded, brownish pods, up to 4 cm long
Leaves:
Hairless, pinnately divided into two, three or four pairs of broad, lanceolate leaflets, these up to 4 cm long, dark green above, paler below. Leaflets have a midvein and a pair of side veins. No tendrils. Stems are winged
Season:
August to July
Rarity:
★★★★★
