Bitter Vetch
Lathyrus linifolius
In medieval Scotland, travelers and warriors chewed the dried tubers of bitter vetch to completely suppress appetite and thirst for days.
- Scientific name
- Lathyrus linifolius
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Fabales › Fabaceae › Lathyrus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Open deciduous woodlands, acidic grasslands, heaths, and hedge banks.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthesis requiring sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide)
- Range
- Europe, Western Asia, British Isles
- Size
- 15 to 40 cm tall
- Lifespan
- Perennial (typically lives 3-7 years)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss due to intensive agriculture, overgrazing, and scrub encroachment.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. Safe to touch and observe. While historically its tubers were dried and eaten to suppress hunger and thirst, foraging wild plants is not recommended without expert knowledge, as some related vetch species are toxic.
Lathyrus linifolius is a species of pea, commonly called bitter vetch or heath pea . The name bitter vetch is also sometimes used for Vicia ervilia and also for Vicia orobus . The tubers of Lathyrus linifolius were formerly used as an appetite suppressant in medieval Scotland, and this use has brought the plant to recent medical attention. Attempts are being made to cultivate the plant on a commercial scale.
Photo: Meneerke bloem, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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