Aspen Pea
Lathyrus laetivirens
- Native to:
- United States
Andrey Zharkikh (www.flickr.com) from Salt Lake City, USA
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Fabaceae
- Genus:
- Lathyrus
- Species:
- Lathyrus laetivirens
- USDA Symbol:
- LALA6
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Forb/herb , Vine
- Height:
- 120 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun
- Drought Tolerance:
- Medium
- Bloom Months:
- jun,jul,aug
- Bloom Colors:
- pink, purple, magenta
Wildlife Benefits
- Bees:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented bee visitation (GBIF)
- Butterflies & Moths:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented Lepidoptera association (GBIF)
Host Plant for Caterpillars
Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme), Queen Alexandra's Sulphur (Colias alexandra), Western Sulphur (Colias occidentalis), Western Tailed-Blue (Everes amyntula)
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- bees, butterflies
- Fire Ecology:
- Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire
- Fire Notes:
- Resprouts from rootstock following fire; common in fire-maintained mountain meadows and forest openings.
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- rich, well-drained loamy soil
- pH:
- 6.0 - 7.5 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- excellent drainage required
- Moisture:
- consistently moist
- Notes:
- prefers fertile soils with organic matter
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- Cold/moist stratification required — 30–60 days
- Scarification:
- Seed coat scarification required before sowing
- Germination Time:
- 14–30 days
- Notes:
- Scarification of hard seed coat recommended before cold stratification. Soaking in warm water for 24 hours can substitute for mechanical scarification.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI