Sweet pea is an annual climbing plant grown in U.S. gardens for its fragrant flowers. The flowers may be white, pink, red, or purple. Unlike garden peas (Pisum sativum), sweet pea has poisonous seeds that should not be eaten.
Appearance
Growth form
This annual vine climbs 3–8 ft (0.9–2.4 m) with s.
Leaves
Each leaf has a pair of leaflets and ends in a tendril.
Flowers
Fragrant, pea-shaped blooms may be white, pink, red, or purple. In North Carolina, they generally bloom in late spring and summer.
Both have one pair of leaflets, so flowers alone may be hard to judge. Perennial sweet pea (Lathyrus latifolius) comes back each year and has smooth seed pods; sweet pea is an annual with hairy pods.
Why they get mixed up · Both are sold as sweet peas and have similar climbing vines and flowers.
Where it lives
Typical habitats
Flower gardens
Trellises
Range
Native to the Mediterranean region, it is grown as an annual across the United States.
Preferred conditions
It grows best in full sun and moist, well-drained soil.
Growing it
Propagation
Garden plants grow from seed.
Toxicity
The seeds are poisonous and should not be eaten.
Name and classification
Varieties and forms
Garden selections vary in color and height. Some climb a trellis, while others grow in low mounds.
Conservation
IUCN Red List
CRCritically Endangered·On the brink of extinction in the wild
Culture and stories
Culture and stories
Gardeners often grow the flowers for their scent and for cutting.