As the OP, nika 107, stated Sweet Peas are 'beautiful yet poisonous'. They are Lathyrus odoratus whilst edible peas are Pisum sativum. Different plant altogether.

Flora, it it is poisonous, how did find out it is sweet. Alos, if it is poisonous, why is it called SWEET ?
STRANGE WORLD. LOL

Another thing to wonder, how those scientist give a poisonous plant to a little girl, to take home ???

It is called 'sweet' because of the fabulous perfume. It is called 'pea' because it is a member of the Leguminaceae and has the typical pea flowers.

OK. Thanks Flora. My comment was partly humorous.

But I think there is a difference between POISONOUS and toxic. And toxicity is relative. It also would depend on one's tolerance On this note a lot of beans and peas are toxic to some extent. That is why I always soak split peas, garbanzo... and drain a few times before cooking. I can taste that bitterness(mild toxicity). I never personally like hard shelled beans. They are bloaters. I have also read that Hyacinth beans, when hardened can be toxic if eaten raw and must be well cooked. But I have eaten fresh pods, stir fried with it. So here again, another beautiful SWEET smelling legume that can be toxic.

There are a lot of foods and drinks that when consumed in access, can be toxic. I wonder what is the limt of the sweet peas !?

"The sweet pea, or Lathyrus odoratus, is mildly poisonous. The seeds of these dainty climbers contain poisonous amino acids called lathyrogens that, when ingested in large amounts, cause a condition called Lathyrus, which is characterized by paralysis, labored breathing and convulsions." Yes it is one of those categories that some people will dare to eat. I don't know why as they really don't resemble English peas or snow peas that much. Most plants can be eaten with proper preparation, even castor beans. But it amazes me that folks will tempt fate with toxic plants and then have a hissy fit over GMO's

Wow, quite the interesting discussion here! Regardless, I'm pretty sure my daughter's plant is a pea plant, but I'm going to post a pic when I get home from work.

And that's interesting about soaking the peas. I know exactly what you mean about the slight bitter taste (even with the sweetest of peas!) so next time I'm going to soak them :)

The attached information states that Lathyrus odoratus contain toxins other than those causing Lathyrism which are found in many Legumes.

Regarding soaking pulses, soaking them is a standard part of preparation of chick peas, lentils, split peas etc. so no surprises there. A reputable vendor should always give information on this, especially for red kidney beans.

I am not sure if I have misunderstood nika107s response but soaking fresh green peas is not necessary and would, imo, ruin them. If they are bitter they are probably picked too old or just not fresh. They are best cooked as soon as possible after picking, ie immediately, and frozen are actually superior in flavour to peas that were picked a few days before because they are frozen very soon after harvest.

A picture would help a lot in a final definitive id.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lathyrus odoratus

All the sources that I have read so far say: if consumed in LARGE QUANTITY...CAN BE TOXIS/POISONOUS...ETC.
DUHHH! what is meant br large quantity ?
Another thing; I was in a nursery , yesterday. I just read the label on Sweet Peas seed packet. NOWHERE THERE WAS A MENTION THAT THE PEAS COULD BE TOXIC.

I am starting to believe in conspiracy theory. LOL

^ Seed companies are assuming that if the seeds are packaged for planting, that you aren't going to be eating them. From my experience, the only time seed packets have any warnings are when they've been coated with a fungicide.

Seed companies are assuming that if the seeds are packaged for planting, that you aren't going to be eating them. From my experience, the only time seed packets have any warnings are when they've been coated with a fungicide.

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Perhaps I was not clear. I was talking about the peas that will grow out of those in the packet, They talk about the color, beauty, fragrance of the flowers BUT never saying/warning that the fruit might be toxic or least NOT EDIBLE.
I cannot imagine selling the seeds of a toxic plant and not mentioning anything about it.

They are also assuming that folks know the difference between ornamentals and vegetables. It is becoming obvious that as we move more and more into urban setting that that assumption is not quite valid. There are a lot of toxic ornamentals and few are packaged with warnings.

Here are a couple pix of the plant in question...

That's an edible pea (vegetable), not a sweet pea (ornamental). Note round section stems and characteristic pale marks on leaves. It looks a bit dry and would climb better if you gave it something twiggy rather than a cane. They shouldn't need tying up.

Thank you Flora! Yes, I think I had let it dry out too much. Should I transplant it to a different container? My daughter is so excited about the plant and eating the peas when they mature, since we've watched the plant grow from a seed, and I'd hate to kill it :(

One more question for Flora -- Right now it's in our full, San Diego sunshine... too sunny? I've read varying things about peas; should I be limiting them to 3-4 hours of either a.m. or p.m. sun?

Excess sunshine is not a problem in my climate but peas are a cool weather plant in much of the US so your sun might be too strong. The pot is probably large enough for a single plant.

Thanks again, Flora! I'll post another photo of our little plant at the end of the summer :)

Glad it is edible pea. Give it some food. Beans and peas are heavy feeders.
As Flora-UK said, peas are cool crops, mostly. Therefore, in San Diego , at this time of year 4 hours of direct sun should be enough. maybe you can plant a bean next to it too to see the difference and similarities between a pea and a bean. I think they will get along fine.

So I have been eating the flowers shoots and leaves of 'sweet peas here in california for the last twelve years. I have never felt better in my life until all these 'experts' started telling me that what i was eating and feeding to my daughter this whole time is poisonous. If there is any toxicity to this plant I have never experienced it at all. My daughter and my girlfriends kids have always foraged these 'sweet peas' in the spring i have been putting them in the kids eggs in the morning and as a green on their sandwiches. I think whomever has classified these peas as poisonous or toxic needs to reevaluate their position.

Wolverine, I hope and believe you are talking about a different plant. Did you read from the top of this thread where the difference between ornamental Lathyrus odoratus and the edible Pisum sativum was explained? The problem is that in the US the term 'Sweet Pea' is used for two entirely different plants from different species and with different uses. I doubt you and your daughter have been eating Lathyrus odoratus - for a start they would probably not even taste good. The toxicity of Lathyrus odoratus is not fabricated. If you have been feeding her Lathyrus odoratus and even if you don't believe in the toxicity and even if the toxicity is mild why would you choose to give it to your child when there are many unequivocally safe alternatives?

Here is a link that might be useful: LAthyrus odoratus

I've seen sweet pea seeds in the veggie section and sweet pea seeds in the flower section. They're two different plants with the same common name. Why not just ask your daughter's teacher what kind of sweet pea it is?

Why didn't the teacher play it safe with fast and easy radishes? Weird.

"Another thing to wonder, how those scientist give a poisonous plant to a little girl, to take home???" because he or she is a freaking eugenicist! I almost eat them until I read the notice online! They look very yummy!

If you go back to the pictures posted by the OP you will see that the child brought home EDIBLE pea plants. And if you read the full thread you will also see that the difference between the two 'sweet' peas has been explained ad nauseam.

The pods of Lathyrus ordoratus are completely unlike those of Pisum sativum. They certainly don't look 'yummy' being only about an 1.5 inches long, hard and felted. The seeds are tiny, brown spheres quite unlike a true edible pea. Based on their appearance it would be a bizarre choice to try eating them. Only if one were convinced they were a vegetable would one go against common sense and eat them.

I will soon send you a photo of my peas and ask to identify. They look very yummy.

I'm the OP, and yes, they were edible. And they were delicious! Since the original posting is a couple years old, that plant is long gone but we have a giant pea plant growing outside that we planted as a seed. It's really fun for the kids to see the giant plant produced by a pea-sized seed! :)

PicoAzores - by all means send us a picture. But if you just do a bit of Googling you will see what you have got. Lathyrus and Pisum pods are extremely different in appearance.

vp_78 - good to hear you got a little harvest.

I found some of very mature peas that when opened seemed very juicy and attractive. Is this the sweet and poisonous plant?

That is NOT Pisum sativum ie NOT an edible pea and doesn't look remotely like on.

It's very hard to id it exactly since there is no scale and many of the shots are out of focus. But it certainly looks like a Lathyrus species. Is it scented? Can you tell us where it is growing?

It is growing in my yard on Pico island. I think my plant is Spanish vetchling (Lathyrus clymenum) or reather Lathyrus tingitanus.

I don't know either of these plants personally. Are the flowers bi-coloured? They look to be all one colour in your photos. That would fit pictures of L tingitanus rather than L clymenum.

Single colour.

I been seeing the same plant growing on road sides in Texas.

That is Lathyrus latifolius, the Perennial (ornamental) and often wild sweet pea. It has a distinctive branching growth habit and pure purple flowers. The pods are small and thin.

can you cross breed with snow peas

Cross breed what with snow peas?

I doubt it, but i suspect lots of plants people think can't cross might actually be able to. But honestly even cross breeding regular "english peas" is incredibly difficult. They have tiny flowers you have to tear open before the pollen self pollinates.

as a side note though, there is the perennial tuberous pea which is cultivated in Europe for it's edible roots. (Lathyrus tuberosus). That might be a plant worth looking into.

I'm still not clear what plants joshuamcdowell3 is asking about. So many different plants have been discussed in this thread the question can't be answered until we know which ones he is referring to.

The pods were apx 1.5 to 2 inches.

The flowers are the ones pictured above.

They are not meant for consumption.

What about these? They were in the vegetable section at our master garden plant sale!

The foliage is Lathyrus, so it's not edible and was in the wrong section of the sale. You can tell by the winged stems. Pisum has round stems.

Hi Flora. Would you please help me identify these that I have been given? The stake just says 'peas' so not sure which they are. Thank you

Melanie- The first pic is a Lathryus. Second ones looks to be as well.

Rodney

Yes - those are both Lathyrus. You can tell by the stems. Pisum has round stems. Lathyrus has angles.

Thank you both so much, you have been most helpful.

my son grab pea seads and grew them. are these the edible tyrp?

I've found out now as I have both growing. The pods on sweet peas are covered in downy hair and if you touch them and lock your fingers there is a bitter taste. Edible pea pods have a smooth skin and there is a flower but it's not the main event.

Link your fingers that should

Not to mention that edible pea pods are many times larger and contain ...... peas!