PEA FAMILY 147 



6. VI'CIA. Vetch. 



1. V. americana Muhl. Stems 1 to 3 ft. long, from a per- 

 ennial root, trailing, or climbing by tendrils. Leaflets 4 to 11, 

 much varied in shape and size. Flowers purplish or bluish, 

 24 in. long, 4 to 8 in each raceme on peduncles shorter than 

 the leaves. Pod flat, several-seeded. (V. durbrowi Eastw.) 



Throughout the lower part of the pine belt we find this 

 vetch to be rather common, usually occurring as var. truncata 

 Brewer, with leaflets as though cut across at apex and 3- 

 toothed. Vicia is always known by the tuft of hairs com- 

 pletely surrounding the apex of the style, but, aside from this 

 technical character, the plants are much like those of the 

 wild sweet pea. 



7. LATHYRUS. Sweet Pea. 

 Perennial herbs with pinnately compound leaves ending in 

 tendrils. Upper teeth of calyx shorter than the lower. Style 

 flattish, hairy only along one side. Pod flat, several-seeded. 



1. L. nuttallii Wats. Herbage finely pubescent. Leaflets 

 3 to 6 pairs, elliptic, acute, 1 or 2 in. long, much longer than 

 the sharp arrow-shaped stipules; tendrils commonly short 

 and unbranched. Peduncle 3 to 5-flowered. Corolla reddish 

 purple, drying to blue, ^ to ^ in. long, the keel abruptly 

 curved upward. 



The rather stiff stems of this plant are 9 to 18 in. high and 

 nearly erect. Its range extends from near Eightmile, on the 

 Wawona Road, northward along the lower slopes of the 

 Sierra Nevada. L. nevadensis Wats., a related species also to 

 be looked for, has yellowish-white flowers and very much 

 reduced tendrils. 



2. L. sulphureus Brewer. Herbage glabrous. Leaflets 6 to 

 10, not paired, % to 2 in. long, ovate or elliptic, acute or 

 obtuse but with a short needle-like tip; stipules large, often 

 toothed; tendrils branched. Peduncle with 10 to 25 flowers 

 on recurved pedicels. Upper calyx-teeth short, sharp, in- 

 curved. Corolla dull white (banner purple-veined), soon 

 turning to a yellowish brown, y 2 in. long, very obtuse. 



This species has leafy stems, \ l / 2 to 3 ft. long. The numer- 

 ous whitish or brown flowers, borne in crowded racemes, dis- 

 tinguish it from the others. It is not rare in the lower part 

 of the pine belt, growing in small patches and isolated clumps. 



3. L. graminifolius White. Herbage glabrous or nearly so. 

 Leaflets 2 or 3 pairs, linear, pointed, \ l / 2 to 3 in. long; stipules 



