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Everlasting Pea

Lathyrus latifolius

Found in roadsides, fencerows, disturbed areas. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

—
Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height
6–10 feet
Spread
3–6 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Usually moist
See native alternatives

Plant this instead

Choose your county to list local plants first.

  • Limber Honeysuckle
    Lonicera dioica

    Sun: Dappled sunlight, Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Yellow, orange, purple or red.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

  • Maypops
    Passiflora incarnata

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Blue, pink, purple or white.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

  • Virginia Virgin's-bower
    Clematis virginiana

    Sun: Dappled sunlight, Deep shade, Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Usually moist. Flowers: White.

    Similar growth form, spread, evergreen or deciduous

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At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
May to October

Recorded in 94 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

20CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Lathyrus

  • Apantesis phylliraPhyllira Tiger Moth
  • Cecropterus pyladesNorthern Cloudywing
  • Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
  • Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
  • Colias eurythemeOrange Sulphur, Alfalfa Butterfly
  • Colias philodiceClouded Sulphur, Clover Butterfly
  • Cupido comyntasEastern Tailed-Blue
  • Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
  • Epargyreus clarusSilver-Spotted Skipper
  • Gesta juvenalisJuvenal's Duskywing
Show all 20
  • Glaucopsyche lygdamusSilvery Blue
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Heliothis phloxiphagaSpotted Straw Sun Moth, Darker Spotted Straw Moth
  • Melanchra adjunctaHitched Arches
  • Melanchra pictaPainted Arches, Zebra Caterpillar Moth
  • Pyrrhia exprimensPurple-Lined Sallow, Purple-Lined Sun Moth
  • Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
  • Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
  • Urbanus proteusLong-Tailed Skipper, Bean Leaf Roller
  • Caryocolum pullatella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
1Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Lathyrus

  • Megachile melanophaea
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Lathyrus

  • Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Fabaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–8b
Flower color
Blue, yellow, pink, purple or white

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Virginia rankSNA
Global rankGNR
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources