Tag: Toxic legumes

Despite their similar appearance, ornamental sweet peas belong to a different genus than edible garden peas, and their seeds are toxic if ingested. This crucial botanical distinction is the key to understanding what peas are not edible and preventing accidental poisoning in your garden.

Epidemics of neurolathyrism often followed periods of famine throughout history, when the drought-resistant grass pea (*Lathyrus sativus*) became the primary or sole food source for impoverished populations. This debilitating neurological disease, causing irreversible paralysis of the legs, is a historical and modern-day reminder of the dangers posed by toxic compounds within certain food plants.