Common name:
Meadow vetchling
Family:
Scientific name:
Lathyrus pratensis
Main flower color:
Range:
All of the UK
Height:
Up to 100 cm
Habitat:
Grassland, scrub
Flowers:
In terminal clusters of up to 12 flowers, on slender stalks, held some way above the leaves. Flowers are yellow, the banner petal crossed by a few red veins. The pale green calyx has lobes a little shorter than the tube, and a covering of short hairs, arranged in vertical lines leading to the lobes. Stems are usually square in cross-section, and hairy
Fruit:
Flattened, hairy pods, up to 35 mm long, ageing to black
Leaves:
Paired, lanceolate leaflets up to 3 cm long, with closely-spaced, parallel veins, and a tendril at the base. Attached by long stalks, which have stipules at the base, similar in appearance, though shorter
Season:
May to August
Rarity:
★★★★★
