Cream Pea
Lathyrus ochroleucus
- Native to:
- Canada, United States
Matt Lavin (www.flickr.com) from Bozeman, Montana, USA
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Fabaceae
- Genus:
- Lathyrus
- Species:
- Lathyrus ochroleucus
- USDA Symbol:
- LAOC2
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Forb/herb , Vine
- Height:
- 90 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun
- Drought Tolerance:
- Medium
- Bloom Months:
- may,jun,jul
- Bloom Colors:
- cream, yellow
Wildlife Benefits
- Bees:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented bee visitation (GBIF)
- Butterflies & Moths:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented Lepidoptera association (GBIF)
- Caterpillars:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Recorded caterpillar host plant (HOSTS Database)
Host Plant for Caterpillars
Northern Cloudywing (Thorybes pylades), Silvery Blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus), Western Tailed-Blue (Everes amyntula)
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- bees, butterflies, small mammals
- Fire Ecology:
- Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire
- Fire Notes:
- Resprouts from rhizomes following fire; often increases in abundance post-burn in woodland and forest edge habitats.
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- rich, well-drained loamy soil
- pH:
- 6.0 - 7.5 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- excellent drainage required
- Moisture:
- dry to moderate
- Notes:
- prefers open woodlands and forest edges
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- Cold/moist stratification required — 30–90 days
- Scarification:
- Seed coat scarification required before sowing
- Germination Time:
- 14–42 days
- Notes:
- Scarification of hard seed coat recommended before cold stratification. May have erratic germination.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI