Lathyrus japonicus Calflora

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Taxon Report

Lathyrus japonicus Willd.

Beach pea, Sea pea

2017 Steve Matson

2010 Louis-M. Landry

Lathyrus japonicus is a perennial herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in North America and beyond.

California Rare Plant Rank: 2B.1 (rare, threatened, or endangered in CA; common elsewhere).


	Plant Range Observation Search ~18 records in California Plant Characteristics one or more occurrences within a 7.5-minute quadrangle

Bloom Period

Photos on Calflora


Genus:	Lathyrus
Family:	Fabaceae
Category:	angiosperm
PLANTS group:	Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Toxicity: Do not eat any part of this plant.

Wetlands: Occurs usually in non wetlands, occasionally in wetlands

Habitat: coastal

Communities: Coastal Strand

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + CNPS + PLANTS + POWO

Alternate Names:


JEF	Lathyrus japonicus var. glaber
JEF	Lathyrus japonicus var. maritimus
JEF	Lathyrus maritimus

Information about Lathyrus japonicus from other sources


Nursery availability from CNPLX This plant is available commercially. Jepson eFlora USDA PLANTS Profile (LAJA) Photos on Calflora Photos on CalPhotos Google Images Photos on iNaturalist ID Tips on PlantID.net	ITIS Original Publication citation International Plants Names Index Search efloras.org (Flora of North America) Landscape information from Calscape BONAP Distribution Map CNPS Inventory: 2B.1 Consortium of California Herbaria 2 Search the Native American Ethnobotany Database	Add an Observation Location Suitability Planting Guide Distribution by County
photos / record / common / links

Suggested Citation

Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/ (Accessed: 05/23/2025).