sweet pea

American  

noun

1. a climbing plant, Lathyrus odoratus, of the legume family, having sweet-scented flowers.

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sweet pea British  

noun

1. a climbing leguminous plant, Lathyrus odoratus, of S Europe, widely cultivated for its butterfly-shaped fragrant flowers of delicate pastel colours

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Etymology

Origin of sweet pea

First recorded in 1725–35

Example Sentences

I pass through fragrant California sagebrush and wild fennel in one spot, a blend of sweet pea, lilac and kicked-up dirt in another.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2024

Dr. Biden said the dinner had been designed with springtime in Washington in mind, and the decorations would evoke a garden of her favorite flowers, including sweet pea, roses and peonies.

From New York Times • Apr. 9, 2024

In the year that followed, he made dozens of sentences at a painstaking rate of about one character per minute: “Goulash soup and sweet pea soup.”

From Science Magazine • Mar. 22, 2022

Sow leftover pea seeds thickly to produce a crop of tasty greens with sweet pea flavor, even if the plants don’t produce pods.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 31, 2021

Although a slightly smaller plant, wild sweet pea looks so much like wild potato that even expert botanists sometimes have trouble telling the species apart.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer