Common Name: Chickling Vetch

General Information

Lathyrus cicera is an annual plant usually growing 10 - 20cm tall from a thin rootstock. The stems are prostrate, branching from near the base and often clinging to the surrounding vegetation by means of tendrils[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It has occasionally been cultivated in southern Europe for the edible seed[]. The plant is sometimes grown to stabilize and restore soils[].
The plant is sometimes a weed of cultivated crops and along the edges of fields[].

Known Hazards

All parts of the plant, but especially the seed, 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[, , ].

Botanical References

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Range

Eurasia - France to Portugal, through Ukraine and Turkey to central asia, Afghanistan and Pakistan; N. Africa - Macaronesia, Morocco to Tunisia

Habitat

Fields and cultivated places[]. Herbaceous places, among shrubs, often as a weed[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

An easily grown plant, succeeding in any moderately good garden soil but preferring a position in full sun[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[]. When removing plant remains at the end of the growing season, it is best to only remove the aerial parts of the plant, leaving the roots in the ground to decay and release their nitrogen.

Edible Uses

Seed - cooked[]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.

Seedpods - they must be well cooked[, , ]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
The seedpods are around 20mm long and 5 - 6mm wide, containing 3 - 5 seeds up to 5mm in diameter[].

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is used as a green manure and soil cover for preventing erosion and for rehabilitating degraded land[].

Other Uses

Closely related to Lathyrus sativus and of possible use in breeding programmes for that species.

Propagation

Pre-soak the seed for 24 hours in warm water and then sow in early spring in a cold frame[]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
If you have sufficient seed, then it can also be sown in situ in mid spring[].