Lathyrus hierosolymitanus, Jerusalem vetchling,
Hebrew: טופח ירושלים, Arabic: جلبان

Scientific name:  Lathyrus hierosolymitanus Boiss.
Common name:  Jerusalem vetchling
Hebrew name:  טופח ירושלים
Arabic name:  جلبان
Family:  Papilionaceae, פרפרניים

פרחים בישראל
Location: Napoleon Hill, Ramat Gan

Life form:  Therophyte, annual
Stems:  15-30 cm high; erect or climbing by means of tendrils; tendrils 1-3 branched
Leaves:  Leaflets small, 3.5-9 x 0.2-0.7 cm; alternate, compound, pinnate, smooth
Inflorescence:  Cluster of 2-4 flowers; peduncle 2.5-3 cm long
Flowers:  Yellow, orange
Fruits / pods:  Legume; seeds rugulose-tuberculate
Flowering Period:   February, March, April
Habitat:   Batha, Phrygana
Distribution:  Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes, Montane vegetation of Mt. Hermon
Chorotype:  Mediterranean
Summer shedding:  Ephemeral

Lathyrus hierosolymitanus, Jerusalem vetchling, טופח ירושלים
Location: Napoleon Hill, Ramat Gan


Derivation of the botanical name:
Lathyrus, Greek lathyros, an old name for pea.
hierosolymitanus, hierosolyma, Jerusalem.
The Hebrew name: טופח, tophakh, Lathyrus.
  • The standard author abbreviation Boiss. is used to indicate Pierre Edmond Boissier (1810 – 1885), a Swiss botanist, explorer and mathematician.

Lathyrus hierosolymitanus, Jerusalem vetchling, טופח ירושלים
Location: Bene Zion Nature Reserve