Know your Grass pea

• Grass pea, Lathyrus sativus, is a legume (family Fabaceae) commonly grown for human consumption and livestock feed in Asia and East Africa.

• It is a particularly important crop in areas that are prone to drought and famine, and is thought of as an 'insurance crop' as it produces reliable yields when all other crops fail.

• Drought tolerant and adaptable to different soils types.

• Used as a green vegetable for human consumption.

• Remarkable azure blue coloured flower, near relative of the common sweet pea.

• The blue colour is very rare in peas.

• The plant is a bushy vine, usually growing to 2-3ft, or trailing along the ground.

• It is very adaptable to varying climate conditions and can be grown in cool coastal areas as well as warm/hot arid regions, provided it receives regular water.

• Grow as an annual.

Know your Grass pea - Other names

• English: Blue sweet pea, chickling vetch, chickling pea, Indian pea, India vetch, Lathyrus pea, blue vetchling

• Danish: Agerfladbælg, Fladbælg, Dyrket fladbælg, Sædfladbælg

• Ethiopia: Guaya

• French: Gesse Commune, Gesse cultivée, Gesse blanche, Jarosse, Pois carré, pois breton

• German: Saat-platterbse; weisse platterbse

• India: Khesari

• Italy: Cicerchia

• Pakistan: Mattari, kesari

• Spanish: Almorta, alverjón, muelas, titos, chícharos

Know your Grass pea - Botany

• An annual climbing plant with alternate leaves composed of two lanceolate leaflets with tendrils; the flowers are axillary and alone, pink, blue or white; the pods measure 4–5 cm long and contain 2–4 wedge-shaped seeds.

• All the organs of Lathyrus sativus are larger than those of Lathyrus cicera.

• Different varieties and types differ in flower colour, form of growth and colour and shape of seeds.

• In the Mediterranean region there are types with white flowers and seeds.

Know your Grass pea - Distribution

• Common in many Asian and African countries and the Mediterranean Basin.

• Being rediscovered in Italy especially in organic agriculture.

• Production increasing slowly in Sicily, Marche and Apulia.

• Traditional dry legumes largely grown in India and Bangladesh.