Lathyrus tingitanus L., Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Tangier Scarlet Pea, Tangier-pea

French: gesse de Tanger

Spanish: almorta tangerina

Habit:  herb

Description:  In Hawai‘i, "apparnetly cultivated as a forage plant and now at least sparingly naturalized along roadsides and in pastures, 915-1,220 m, Olinda, Maui"  (Wagner et al., p. 678).  In New Zealand: "Waste places, coastal cliffs, sands and gravels.  Tangier pea forms extensive patches in some areas and may be found growing with L. latifolius.  These 2 common spp. are easily distinguished when flowering and may also be told apart when fruiting as the seeds of Tangier pea are smooth and have a short hilum. Plants of Tangier pea germinating and flowering late in the season may be much more slender, and have narrow stem wings, smaller leaves with indistinct parallel veins, and short peduncles"  (Webb et al., 1988; p. 655).

Habitat/ecology:  In New Zealand: "Waste places, coastal cliffs, sands and gravels.  Tangier pea forms extensive patches in some areas and may be found growing with L. latifolius.  These 2 common spp. are easily distinguished when flowering and may also be told apart when fruiting as the seeds of Tangier pea are smooth and have a short hilum. Plants of Tangier pea germinating and flowering late in the season may be much more slender, and have narrow stem wings, smaller leaves with indistinct parallel veins, and short peduncles"  (Webb et al., 1988; p. 655).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Canary and Madeira Islands, Morocco, northern Algeria, Portugal, Spain, Sardinia (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive cultivated	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (pp. 488, 534, 555) Voucher cited: Danton I(5/218)1563. "En RC, se encuentra en via de naturalización en el pueblo de San Juan Bautista.".
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 678) East Maui. Voucher cited: Hobdy 2409 (BISH)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	introduced invasive	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2011)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 655)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Washington)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011) Nevada, Utah

Additional information:
Additional online information about Lathyrus tingitanus is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Lathyrus tingitanus as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Lathyrus tingitanus may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John. 2011. Naturalized species in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile. Unpublished spreadsheet.

Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido. 2006. Nouveau catalogue de la flore vaculaire de l'archipel Juan Fernández (Chile) [Nuevo catálogo de la flora vacular del Archipélago Juan Fernández (Chile)]. Acta Bot. Gallica 153(4):399-587.

ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre. 2011. International Legume Database & Information Service. Online searchable database.

National Herbarium of New South Wales. 2011. PlantNet: New South Wales Flora online. The Plant Information Network System of the Botanic Gardens Trust Version 2.0. Online resource.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2011. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. 1988. Flora of New Zealand, Volume IV: Naturalised pteridophytes, gymnosperms, dicotyledons. Botany Division, DSIR, Christchurch. 1365 pp.