Author: آمنه غلامی 
Lathyrus sativus L.
Parvin Salehi Shanjani, Leila Rasoulzadeh and Mustafa Nemati Pikan
Natural Resources Gene Bank, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Tehran, Iran.
Uploaded at Dec 2023
Scientific editor: Masoumeh Izadpanah
Seed Storage
The storage behavior of this species is orthodox (desiccation-tolerant seeds); dry to 15-20% eRH and store at -20 °C.
Germination requirements
The seeds of this species are not dormant. Sterilize seeds before placing them on wet germination paper. Place seeds two weeks in 4 ºC to germinate uniformly. Then germinate under an alternating temperature regime of 15/20 ºC (the higher temperature for 16 hours in light and the lower one for eight hours in dark).
Morphology
Fruit: Pod, 20 to 35 mm long and 8 to 15 mm wide, oblong, flat, slightly bulging over the seeds; dorsal part of the pod 2-winged, shortly beaked and contains 2-5 small seeds
Seed: Seeds oblique cubic to ovoid, ventral side flat to concave, side faces slanted towards dorsal margin, hilum elliptic. Surface smooth, lustrous, color very variable, mostly yellowish or dark-brown
Seed size: Length 4.7 to 5.7 mm, width 2.7 to 3.9 mm in an accession from Esfahan, with 1000 seeds weight 132 g, which was collected in 2012 by Esmaeli Sharif, and the cultivated sample was identified by Mostafa Nemati, and is stored in the Natural Resources Gene Bank of Iran with the accession number 38981.
1000 seed weight: 93 to 177 g
Biological features
Life form: Annual. Stem ascending, 40 to 70 cm height
Inflorescences and flower type and pollination mechanisms: Inflorescence axillary one-flowered, peduncles are shorter than the accompanying leaves. Flowers hermaphrodite, zygomorphic, heteropetalous; corolla (composed of banner: uper large petal, wings: two petals adjacent to the banner, and keel: two bottom petals) blue-purple, wings longer than the keel; stamens are always ten in number, and their filaments are fused in a group of nine stamens plus one separate stamen (9+1). Plant monoecious, cross-pollinated, which is carried out by insects.
Time of flowering: Mid-spring to mid-autumn
Time of seed ripening: Late spring to autumn
Seed dispersal methods: The seeds are displaced by weight.
Geographical distribution: Europe, Turkey, Iran, Caucasus, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and North Africa. Typus from France and Switzerland
Distribution in Iran: North, Northwest and Center and South. Mostly in provinces Mazandaran, Azerbaijan, Zanjan, Ghazvin, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Lorestan, Alborz, Tehran, and Isfahan
Taxonomy
Family: Papilionaceae
Genus: Lathyrus
Species: L. sativus
Persian name: Kholar
Commun name: Chickling vetch
References and Links
Bojňanský, V. and Fargašová, A. 2007. Atlas of seeds and fruits of central and East-European flora: the Carpathian Mountains region. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 1046 pp.
Campbell, C. G. 1997. Grass pea. Lathyrus sativus L. Promoting the conservation and use of underutilized and neglected crops. International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Rome, Italy.
Ghahraman, A. Flore of Iran. Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands with University of Tehran Publication. https://floraofiran.net/index.php.
Mozaffarian, V. 2012. A Pictorial Dictionary of Botany. Farhange Moaser publisher, 1088 pp.
Mozaffarian, V.A. 1998. Dictionary of Iranian Plants Names. Moaser Publisher, Tehran Farhang, 671 pp.
Pakravan, M., Jalilian, N. and Neamati, M. 1379. Flore of Iran, Papilionaceae: Vicieae. Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Tehran, Iran, Publication No. 33, 176 pp.
Sharma, O.P. 2009. Plant taxonomy 2E. Tata McGraw-Hill Education, New Delhi, 563 pp.
