Ciliate Vetchling

Lathyrus blepharicarpos, Lathyrus blepharicarpus, Ciliate Vetchling,
Hebrew: טופח ריסני, Arabic: الجلبان جفني الثمار

Scientific name:   Lathyrus blepharicarpos Boiss.
Synonym name:   Lathyrus blepharicarpus Boiss.
Common name:   Ciliate Vetchling
Hebrew name:   טופח ריסני
Arabic name:   الجلبان جفني الثمار
Family:   Papilionaceae, פרפרניים


Life form:   Therophyte, annual
Stems:   15-30 cm high; erect or climbing by means of tendrils
Leaves:   Alternate, compound, pinnate
Inflorescence:   Solitary
Flowers:   Orange, red
Fruits / pods:   Legume laterally compressed
Flowering Period:   February, March, April
Habitat:   Batha, Phrygana
Distribution:   Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes, Montane vegetation of Mt. Hermon
Chorotype:   Mediterranean
Summer shedding:   Ephemeral


Derivation of the botanical name:

Lathyrus, Greek lathyros, an old name for pea.

blepharicarpos, blepharis, βλεφαριϛ, eyelash; carpos, καρποϛ, fruit; with ciliated fruit, fringed seed.
The Hebrew name: טופח, tophakh, Lathyrus.

  • The standard author abbreviation Boiss. is used to indicate Pierre Edmond Boissier (1810 – 1885), a Swiss botanist, explorer and mathematician.