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- Lathyrus aphaca
Lathyrus aphaca — yellow vetchling
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Facts
Yellow vetchling is native to Europe and Asia and introduced in North America, where it has scattered occurrences, mainly in the south and the west. In New England it has been collected only in Massachusetts.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), meadows and fields
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- Flower petal color
- yellow
- Leaf type
- NA
- Leaf arrangement
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Leaf blade edges
- NA
- Flower symmetry
- there is only one way to evenly divide the flower (the flower is bilaterally symmetrical)
- Number of sepals, petals or tepals
-
- there are five petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower
- there are four petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower
- Stamen number
- 10
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is dry and splits open when ripe
- Fruit length
- 20–40 mm
-
Clonal plantlets
- Bulbils
- the plant does not appear to have bulbils
- Bulblets replace flowers
- there are no bulblets where the flowers are located
-
Flowers
- Anther opening
- the anthers have narrow slits or furrows that run lengthwise along the anthers
- Anther spurs
- the anthers do not have spurs on them
- Calyx symmetry
- there is only one way to evenly divide the calyx (the calyx is bilaterally symmetrical)
- Carpels fused
-
- NA
- the carpel is solitary or (if 2 or more) the carpels are not fused to one another
- Cleistogamous flowers
- there are no cleistogamous flowers on the plan
- Corolla morphology
- NA
- Corolla palate
- no
- Corona lobe length
- 0 mm
- Epicalyx
- the flower does not have an epicalyx
- Epicalyx number of parts
- 0
- Filament surface
- the filament is smooth, with no hairs or scales
- Flower description
- the flower has a superior ovary and a hypanthium
- Flower number
- 1–2
- Flower petal color
- yellow
- Flower reproductive parts
- the flower has both pollen- and seed-producing parts
- Flower symmetry
- there is only one way to evenly divide the flower (the flower is bilaterally symmetrical)
- Flowers sunken into stem
- no
- Form of style
- the style is knob-like at the tip, and unbranched
- Fused stamen clusters
- there are two clusters of fused stamens
- Horns in hoods (Asclepias)
- NA
- Hypanthium
- the flower has a hypanthium
- Inflorescence one-sided
- the flowers are arrayed in a spiral around the inflorescence axis or branches, or occur singly, or in several ranks
- Inner tepals (Rumex)
- NA
- Nectar spur
- the flower has no nectar spurs
- Number of carpels
- 1
- Number of pistils
- 1
- Number of sepals, petals or tepals
-
- there are five petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower
- there are four petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower
- Number of styles
- 1
- Ovary position
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Petal and sepal arrangement
- the flower includes two cycles of petal- or sepal-like structures
- Petal and sepal colors
- yellow
- Petal appearance
- the petals are thin and delicate, and pigmented (colored other than green or brown)
- Petal base
- the petal narrows abruptly at the base
- Petal folding in bud
- the petals in bud are arranged in a cycle with edges overlapping like roof shingles (imbricate)
- Petal folds or pleats
-
- the petals of the flower do not have folds or plaits
- the petals of the flower have folds or plaits on them
- Petal hairs (Viola)
- NA
- Petal length
- 10–13 mm
- Petal number
- 5
- Petal tips (Cuscuta)
- NA
- Raceme attachment (Veronica)
- NA
- Reproductive system
- all the flowers have both carpels and stamens (synoecious)
- Scales inside corolla
- no
- Sepal and petal color
- the sepals are different from the petals
- Sepal appearance
- the sepals are green or brown, and leaf-like in texture
- Sepal appendages
- the sepals do not have appendages on them
- Sepal appendages (Oenothera)
- NA
- Sepal color
- green to brown
- Sepal number
- 5
- Sepal orientation
- the sepals are slightly curved outwards from the corolla
- Sepal relative length
- the sepal lobes are longer than the fused portion
- Sepal shape
-
- the sepal outline is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
- the sepal outline is roughly triangular
- Sepal texture
- the sepals are either very thin but flexible, like a membrane, or they are leaf-like in texture
- Sepal tip shape
- the sepal tip is acute (is sharply pointed)
- Sepal uniformity
- all the sepals are about the same size
- Sepals fused only to sepals
- the sepals are fused to each other (not other flower parts), at least near their bases
- Stamen morphology
- the stamens within each cycle are the same
- Stamen number
- 10
- Stamens fused
- the stamens are attached to one another at or near their bases
- Staminodes
- there are no staminodes on the flower
- Stigma position
- the stigmas are positioned at the tip of the style
- Style petal-like
- the styles are not petal-like
- Umbel flower reproductive parts
- NA
- Upper lip of bilabiate corolla
- NA
-
Fruits or seeds
- Achene relative orientation
- NA
- Achene shape
- NA
- Achene surface (Polygonum)
- NA
- Achene type
- NA
- Berry color
- NA
- Capsule color (Viola)
- NA
- Capsule ribs
- NA
- Capsule splitting
-
- NA
- the capsule splits by two main valves, teeth or pores
- Fruit (pyxis) dehiscence
- NA
- Fruit cross-section
- the fruit is at least somewhat flattened
- Fruit features (Brassicaceae)
- NA
- Fruit length
- 20–40 mm
- Fruit length relative to sepals
- the fruit is longer than its associated sepals
- Fruit locules
- one
- Fruit shape
-
- the fruit is ellipsoid (widest in the middle and tapering to each end)
- the fruit is flat or strongly compressed
- the fruit is oblanceoloid (narrrow, widest above the middle and tapering at both ends)
- the fruit is obloid (longer than wide and with rounded ends)
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is dry and splits open when ripe
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is a legume (a fruit that splits into two valves, but only has a single carpel; think of a pea pod)
- Fruit width
- 4–7 mm
- Hair type on fruit
- NA
- Hairs on fruit
- the fruits are not hairy
- Legumes (Fabaceae)
- the legume has valves that split elastically and coil after they split
- Mericarp length
- 0 mm
- Mericarp segment shape (Desmodium)
- NA
- Other markings on berry
- NA
- Ovary stipe
-
- the ovary or fruit does not have a stipe
- the ovary or fruit has a stipe
- Placenta arrangement
- the plant has parietal placentation, where ovules develop on the wall or slight outgrowths of the wall forming broken partitions within a compound ovary
- Rows of seeds in fruit (Brassicaceae)
- NA
- Schizocarpic fruit compression
- NA
- Schizocarpic fruit segments
- 0
- Seed number
- 2–15
- Septum in fruit (Brassicaceae)
- NA
- Wings on fruit
- the fruit does not have wings on it
- prickles on fruits
- the fruits do not have thorn-like defensive structures
-
Glands or sap
- Glands on leaf blade
-
- NA
- the leaf blades do not have glandular dots or scales
- Sap
- the sap is clear and watery
- Sap color
- the sap is clear
-
Growth form
- Growth form
- the plant is an herb (it has self-supporting stems)
- Lifespan
- the plant lives only a single year or less
- Parasitism
- the plant is not parasitic
- Plant color
- the leaves or young stems of the plant are green
- Plants darken when dry
- no
- Spines on plant
- the plant has no spines
- Underground organs
- the plant has a rhizome (a horizontal underground stem with roots growing from it)
-
Leaves
- Bracteole edges
- NA
- Bracteole number (Apiaceae)
- 0
- Bracteole shape
- NA
- Bracteoles
- there are no bracteoles on the plant
- Bracts in plantain (Plantago)
- NA
- Final leaf segment length to width ratio (compound lvs only)
- 0
- Floral bracts
- the flower has one or more bracts associated with it
- Hairs on leaf stalk
- NA
- Hairs on underside of leaf
- NA
- Hairs on upper side of leaf
- NA
- Hooked hairs on underside of leaf
- NA
- Inflated hairs on leaf
- NA
- Leaf arrangement
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Leaf blade base
- NA
- Leaf blade base shape
- NA
- Leaf blade base symmetry
- NA
- Leaf blade bloom
- NA
- Leaf blade edges
- NA
- Leaf blade flatness
- NA
- Leaf blade hairs
- NA
- Leaf blade primary vein pattern
- NA
- Leaf blade surface colors
-
- NA
- the upper side of the leaf blade is relatively uniform in color
- Leaf blade texture
- NA
- Leaf blade vein pattern
- NA
- Leaf blade veins
- NA
- Leaf duration
-
- NA
- the leaves drop off in winter (or they whither but persist on the plant)
- Leaf folding in bud
- NA
- Leaf form
-
- NA
- the leaves are green, with an expanded blade and a leaf-like texture
- Leaf hair orientation
- NA
- Leaf shiny
- NA
- Leaf spines
- NA
- Leaf stalk
- NA
- Leaf stalk attachment to leaf
- NA
- Leaf stalk base
- NA
- Leaf teeth and lobes
- NA
- Leaf tip
- NA
- Leaf type
- NA
- Leaf types
- NA
- Leaf variation
- NA
- Leaflet petiolules
- NA
- Leaves per node
- there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Pinnately compound leaf type
- NA
- Specific leaf type
- NA
- Stipels
- there are no stipels at the bases of the petiolules
- Stipule edges
- the stipule margins do not have teeth
- Stipule features
- NA
- Stipule fused to leaf stalk
- the stipules are not fused to the petioles
- Stipule length
- 10–50 mm
- Stipule shape
- the stipules are another shape than the choices given
- Stipules
- the plant has stipules
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- Specific habitat
-
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
-
Scent
- Plant odor
- the plant does not have much of a smell
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Branched tendrils
- the tendrils are not branched
- Direction of stem hairs
- NA
- Flowering stem cross-section
- the flowering stem is circular, or with lots of small angles so that it is roughly circular
- Hair between stem nodes
- the stem has no hairs between the nodes
- Hairs between stem nodes
- the stem has no hairs between the nodes
- Plant height
- 30–100 cm
- Stem bloom
- the stem has a powdery or waxy film on it that can be rubbed away
- Stem hair distribution
- NA
- Stem nodes swollen
- the stem is not swollen at the nodes
- Stem orientation
- the stems are upright or angled outwards
- Stem roughness between nodes
- the stem does not feel rough
- Stem spacing
- the plant is solitary, or a few plants are growing together
- Tendril origin
- the tendril is derived from a leaf or leaflet
- Tendrils
- the plant has tendrils
- Wings on stem
- the stem does not have wings on it
Wetland status
Not classified
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- absent
- Maine
- absent
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- not applicable (S-rank: SNA)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
1. Lathyrus aphaca L. E
yellow vetchling. MA. Fields, roadsides, waste areas.