Family: legumes (Fabaceae)
Flowering time: June–August
Size: 30–60 cm
Habitat: meadows, open forests and shrub slopes
Meadow vetchling (Lathyrus pratensis) is a delicate perennial with a slender four-angled, wingless climbing stem. Its leaves, with a pair of lanceolate or narrowly elliptical leaflets, terminate in a tendril with which it grips to nearby plants and climbs toward the light. The stipules with spear-shaped bases are large and resemble leaflets in form. Its long-peduncled inflorescence consists of 3 to 12 bright yellow flowers, 1 to 1.5 cm long. The fruits – pods – are 2.5 to 3.5 cm long and bare when mature.
Meadow vetchling prefers to grow on moist soils in moderately warm habitats. It is common throughout Slovenia.
