Veiny Pea (Lathyrus venosus)
The Veiny Pea is a native, perennial wildflower. It can grow to 40 inches tall. It has pea-shaped flowers that are bi-colored, with a richly lavender and pink upper lip and pale pink lower petals. The flowers have distinct veins on the upper lip. The leaves are compound with four to seven leaflet pairs. The leaves are oval to oblong-elliptic, rounded at both ends, and can be finely hairy or nearly smooth. It grows in dry open woodlands, thickets, and moist to wet soils.
As a native legume, it enriches the soil by fixing atmospheric nitrogen, feeding the microbial communities that support surrounding grasses, sedges, and wildflowers. Its blossoms provide nectar and pollen for early‑season bumble bees, leafcutter bees, and small native solitary bees that rely on pea‑family plants for both food and nesting materials. The plant’s sprawling stems offer shelter for ground‑dwelling insects and small amphibians, while its seeds feed birds and small mammals later in the season. In dry woodlands, thickets, and moist edges alike, veiny pea helps knit the plant community together—stabilizing soil, supporting pollinators, and adding resilience to the shifting boundary between forest and field.
Sources:
USDA Plants Database – Lathyrus venosus Species Profile
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Native Plant Database: Veiny Pea (Lathyrus venosus)
Minnesota Wildflowers – Veiny Pea Identification and Habitat
Illinois Wildflowers – Veiny Pea Ecology and Pollinator Associations
Wisconsin DNR – Native Legumes and Their Role in Soil Enrichment
US Forest Service – Nitrogen‑Fixing Native Plants and Woodland Ecology
Sauk Prairie Conservation Alliance – Woodland and Thicket Plant Communities of Southern Wisconsin
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