Explore Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Can't find the answer in our existing FAQs, submit a question to Mr. Smarty Plants.
Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.
rate this answer
Thursday - July 28, 2005
From: Pine Grove, , CA
Region: California
Topic: Edible Plants
Title: Smarty Plants wild sweet pea
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
We were asked if the seed pods of the wild sweet pea are edible. (California)ANSWER:
Two of the most common cultivated sweet peas are the non-native common sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus), a Mediterranean native, and the grass pea, or azure blue sweet pea (L. sativus), a native of India. There are more than a dozen North American native species of sweet pea (Lathyrus spp.) that grow in California, including: Sierra pea (L. nevadensis), Silky beach pea (L. littoralis), and Wild pea, (L. japonicus). I'm not sure if you are asking about one of these three or one of the other native species, but the answer is the same for any plant in the Genus Lathyrus. Do not eat them! The Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System lists both L. odoratus and L. sativus in their database; and, according to the Cornell University Poisonous Plants Informational Database, the seeds of all species of Lathyrus are poisonous.More Edible Plants Questions
How was salal (Gaultheria shallon) used by the troops in WWII?
May 20, 2010 - We live in Vancouver BC. My mother says that during WW2 all the kids in her school were sent out to pick salal. They picked sacks of salal which were then sent to the troops. We are trying to find ...
view the full question and answer
Problems with chile pequin from Pflugerville TX
July 19, 2012 - Hello there! I have a question about my chile pequin (Capsicum annuum L.) plant. I purchased it last year from the Wildflower Center Fall Plant Sale. It stayed in a pot until three months ago when I p...
view the full question and answer
Plants for shade, poor soil in Park Ridge NJ
June 17, 2010 - Hello! I live in far northeast New Jersey, by the New York state border. I am looking for plants for areas of my lawn that nothing currently grows in - due to shade and poor soil quality - very rocky,...
view the full question and answer
Information on herbs for Northeast Ohio
May 03, 2006 - Hello there,
I am writing you seeking some information on Northeast Ohio's native plants. This has been rather difficult to find—specific native plants that can be used as herbs.
If you could h...
view the full question and answer
Texas plants useful to early settlers
June 05, 2012 - I'm working on some interpretation for a prairie heritage trail in SE TX (near Houston). I'd like to know where I can find some good information on plant remedies which might have been used by early...
view the full question and answer
 |
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. Mr. Smarty Plants wants you to be his Facebook friend. Click the Facebook icon to add yourself to Mr. Smarty Plants list of friends. |
