Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Aug 5, 2026

Pisum

Pisum is a possible genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, native to southwest Asia and northeast Africa. As of April 2026, Plants of the World Online considered the genus to be a synonym of Lathyrus, while the International Legume Database Information Service (ILDIS) accepted three species:Pisum abyssinicum = Lathyrus oleraceus Pisum fulvum = Lathyrus fulvus Pisum sativum = Lathyrus oleraceus – the field or garden pea, a major human food crop

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Aug 5, 2026
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Wikipedia ↗
Pisum sativum or Lathyrus oleraceus source ↗

Pisum is a possible genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, native to southwest Asia and northeast Africa. As of April 2026, Plants of the World Online considered the genus to be a synonym of Lathyrus,1 while the International Legume Database Information Service (ILDIS) accepted three species:2

  • Pisum abyssinicum (syn. P. sativum subsp. abyssinicum) = Lathyrus oleraceus3
  • Pisum fulvum = Lathyrus fulvus4
  • Pisum sativum = Lathyrus oleraceus3 – the field or garden pea, a major human food crop

Taxonomy

The genus Pisum was erected by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.1 Pisum is the ancient Latin name for the pea.5 Molecular phylogenetic studies suggested that Pisum was not distinct from Lathyrus, and sank it into that genus.6 Others have disputed the justification and hence the necessity for this change.7

References

References

  1. "Pisum L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
  2. "Genus: Pisum". ILDIS World Database of Legumes. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
  3. "Lathyrus oleraceus Lam." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
  4. "Lathyrus fulvus (Sm.) Kosterin". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
  5. Gledhill, David (2008). The Names of Plants. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521866453 (hardback), ISBN 9780521685535 (paperback). p. 304.
  6. Schaefer, Hanno; Hechenleitner, Paulina; Santos-Guerra, Arnoldo; de Sequeira, Miguel Menezes; Pennington, R Toby; Kenicer, Gregory; Carine, Mark A (2012). "Systematics, biogeography, and character evolution of the legume tribe Fabeae with special focus on the middle-Atlantic island lineages". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 12 (1): 250. Bibcode:2012BMCEE..12..250S. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-12-250. ISSN 1471-2148. PMC 3547781. PMID 23267563.
  7. Ellis, Noel; Smýkal, Petr; Maxted, Nigel; Coyne, Clarice; Domoney, Claire; Burstin, Judith; Bouchenak-Khelladi, Yanis; Chayut, Noam (2024). "The Taxonomic Status of Genera within the Fabeae (Vicieae), with a Special Focus on Pisum". Diversity. 16 (7): 365. Bibcode:2024Diver..16..365E. doi:10.3390/d16070365.