Lathyrus magellanicus

Lam.

Cape Horn pea

Fabaceae Edible: Seeds Potential hazards — see below 956 iNaturalist observations

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Description

A herb. It is a climbing plant with stems produced each year from a rootstock. It lasts for a few years. It grows 30-60 cm tall. The stems scramble over the ground and can climb with tendrils. The leaves are 25-85 mm long by 8-25 mm wide. The flowers are blue to purple. The seeds are 3-4 mm across.

Edible Uses

The seeds are eaten cooked and have been used as an emergency food.

Traditional Uses

The seeds have been eaten as an emergency food. They are cooked. Caution:

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Known Hazards

Although no specific records of toxicity have been found for this species, the seed and other parts of many Lathyrus species contain a toxic amino acid. It is produced in the plant at about the same time that the seed starts to develop. In small quantities the amino acid is innocuous, and the seeds of several Lathyrus species are eaten as a nutritious part of the diet. However, in larger quantities (the seed should form less than 30% of a balanced diet), it can cause a very serious disease of the nervous system known as 'lathyrism'. Symptoms appear as a paralysis of the muscles below the knees, pains in the back, followed by weakness and stiffness of the legs and progressive locomotive incoordination.

Distribution

It can grow in tropical places. It grows in coastal sands and open grassland. In the tropics it can grow to 2,400 m above sea level. It grows in Subantarctic forests of Araucaria araucana in Argentina. In Argentina it grows below 500 m above sea level. It can tolerate frost.

Where It Grows

Andes, Argentina*, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, South America*, Uruguay,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seeds. It is probably best to pre-soak them.

Propagation

Pre-soak the seed for 24 hours in warm water and then sow in containers in light shade. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out when 10cm or more tall. If you have sufficient seed, then it can also be sown in situ.

Synonyms

Orobus magellanicus (Lam.) Alef.

Also Known As

Lord Anson's pea, Alvergilla, Arvejilla

References (11)

Encycl. 2:708. 1788
Fern, K., 2012, Tropical Species Database http://theferns.info/tropical/
Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 372
Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 472
Kew Plants of the World Online

Show all 11 references

Ladio, A. H. & Lozada, M., 2000, Edible Plant Use in a Mapuche Community of North-western Patagonia, Human Ecology. Vol. 28, No. 1. pp. 53-71
Ladio, A. H., 2001, The Maintenance of Wild Edible Plant Gatherings in a Mapuche Community of Patagonia. Economic Botany, Vol. 55, No. 2, pp. 243-254
Leon-Lobos, P., et al, 2022, Patterns of Traditional and Modern Uses of Wild Edible Native Plants of Chile: Challenges and Future Perspectives. Plants (Basel) v 11 (6) Table S1
Molares, S. & Ladio, A., 2012, The Usefulness of Edible and Medicinal Fabaceae in Argentine and Chilean Patagonia: Environmental Availability and Other Sources of Supply. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Volume 2012, Article ID 901918, 12 pages, Hindawi Publishing Corporation.
Rapoport, E. H. & Ladio, A. H., 1999, Plantas comestibles. Bosque Volume 20 No. 2. ISSN 0314-8799
www.hidawi.com/journals/ecam/2012/901918/tab1/