Beach Pea
Lathyrus maritimus. Pulse Family.
About one foot high, or more. Stem.--Stout. Leaves.--Divided into from three to five pairs of thick oblong leaflets. Flowers.--Papilionaceous; large; purple; clustered.
The deep-hued flowers of this stout plant are commonly found along the sand-hills of the seashore, and also on the shores of the Great Lakes, blooming in early summer. Both flowers and leaves are at once recognized as belonging to the Pulse family.
Strophostyles angulosa. Pulse Family.
Stems.--Branched; one to six feet long; prostrate or climbing. Leaves.--Divided into three leaflets, which are more or less prominently lobed toward the base, the terminal two-lobed; or some or all without lobes. Flowers.--Purplish or greenish; on long flower-stalks. Pod.--Linear; straight, or nearly so.
This somewhat inconspicuous plant is found back of the sand-hills along the coast, often in the neighborhood of the beach pea, and climbing over river-banks, thickets, and fences as well. It can usually be identified by its oddly lobed leaflets.