Lathyrus clymenum aka Spanish Vetchling

Lathyrus clymenum, also known as Spanish vetchling, is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to the Mediterranean. It is a medium to tall hairless annual with a stem that can grow up to 100cm and is winged. The leaves have a broad leaf-like petiole and rhachis, with the lower ones being linear-lanceolate and without leaflets, while the upper ones have 2-4(-5) pairs of leaflets. The stipules are linear to ovate, semi-hastate, with two ± triangular lobes pointed outwards, and are 9-18 x 2-6mm. The plant is cultivated on the island of Santorini in Greece and has been used for over 3,500 years to prepare a Greek dish called fava santorinis. It was recently added to the European Union's products with a Protected Designation of Origin. The seeds of Lathyrus clymenum are used for this dish, and it is a vulnerable crop that can be destroyed by strong winds that blow away its flowers before they can yield the pea, drought, or sudden heat waves. When weather conditions are good, farmers on the island can reap about 800 kilograms of beans per hectare. Its production is thus limited, making it an expensive crop that costs €700 per acre, with the cost for consumers being about €9-10 per kilogram. The peculiar ecosystem that was created by the volcanic explosions on Santorini island, the volcanic ash, the cellular soil, and the combination of humidity created by the sea and the drought, make the bean a unique resource. The flowers of Lathyrus clymenum are racemes 1- to 5-flowered, with calyx-teeth equal and shorter than the tube. The corolla is crimson with violet or lilac wings, very rarely pale yellow, and the style is aristate. The fruit is a legume that is 30-70 x 5-12mm, brown, glabrous, channelled on the dorsal suture, and not torulose. The seeds are 5-7, smooth, and the hilum is 1/7-1/6 of the circumference. Spanish vetchling is a super rare houseplant that needs regular watering to thrive. It does best in long-lasting, direct light and should be less than 1 foot from a window. The plant likes soil that is well draining and may benefit from a gentle, organic fertilizer throughout the peak growing season. The main way to get rid of weeds is mechanical.