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Sweet Pea
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Sweet Pea
ntroduced elliptic Photo: Thingnam Girija
Common name: Sweet Pea • Manipuri: ꯍꯋꯥꯢꯊ꯭ꯔꯥꯛ ꯂꯩ হৱাঈথ্ৰাক Hawaithrak lei • Nepali: केराउ फूल Keraau Phool
Botanical name: Lathyrus odoratus    Family: Fabaceae (pea family)

The heady scent of sweet peas is an old-time favorite. This annual (grows just one year) vine is easy to start from seed - in fact, you probably won't find established seedlings in nurseries. Sweet peas are wonderful when trained up the supports of a porch or the railings of a deck, where their perfume will be best appreciated. The sweet-smelling flowers come in a wide range of colors and are the main feature of this climbing plant. The vine grows 6 to 9 feet tall, with dwarf types reaching 8-20 inches. Sweet peas are also suitable for baskets, tubs and spillover plantings, and make excellent cut flowers. They will do best if planted in a different place each year. They produce an abundance of flowers that can be used as cut flowers while leaving enough on the vine to keep it highly decorative. A lot of cultivars are selected for the beauty of their flowers.

Identification credit: Thingnam Girija Photographed at Vimhans, Delhi.

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