Lotus tetragonolobus

"Winged pea" redirects here. For another plant known as winged bean, see Winged bean.

Lotus tetragonolobus, known as asparagus-pea^[2] or winged pea, is an annual leguminous herb native to the countries around the Mediterranean, although introduced elsewhere.^[1] It is low growing, and produces a profusion of prominent deep red flowers, followed by seed pods that are longitudinally winged.

Botanical illustration

Lotus tetragonolobus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Faboideae
Genus:	Lotus
Species:	L. tetragonolobus
Binomial name
Lotus tetragonolobus L.[1]
Synonyms[1]
Lotus purpureus (Moench) E.H.L.Krause Scandalida rubra Medik. Scandalida tetragonoloba (L.) Medik. Tetragonolobus edulis Link Tetragonolobus purpureus Moench Tetragonolobus siliquosus var. maritimus (L.) Ser. Tetragonolobus tetragonolobus (L.) Asch. & Graebn. Lotus palaestinus (Boiss.) Holmboe Lotus purpureus var. palaestinus (Boiss.) Post Lotus tetragonolobus subsp. palaestinus Holmboe Lotus tetraptera Stokes Tetragonolobus palaestinus Boiss. Lotus purpureus var. palaestinus (Boiss.) Post Tetragonolobus pseudopurpureus Uechtr. Tetragonolobus purpureus subsp. palaestinus (Boiss.) Ponert

It is cultivated for its edible green seed pods, which are one of the vegetables known as asparagus pea or winged pea.