Sweet Pea flower / Lathyrus odoratus / n. Flowering plant in the genus Lathyrus in the family Fabaceae ( legumes ), native to Sicily, Cyprus, southern Italy and the Aegean Islands Scientific Classification Kingdom : Plantae Phylum : Angiosperms Class : Rossids Order : Fabales Family : Fabaceae Genus : Lathyrus Species : L. odoratus It is an annual climbing plant, growing to a height of 1–2 metres (3 ft 3 in–6 ft 7 in), where suitable support is available. The leaves are pinnate with two leaflets and a terminal tendril, which twines around supporting plants and structures, helping the sweet pea to climb. In the wild plant the flowers are purple, and they are larger and very variable in color.The annual species, may be confused with the everlasting pea, L. latifolius , a perennial. Scottish nurseryman Henry Eckford (1823