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Re: My first year Sweet Peas..

Here is info (somewhat contradictory!) from earlier postings:

Laura Dolson wrote:
> 
> On Sun, 16 Feb 1997 15:42:13 GMT, poppie@juno.com (Poppy) wrote:
> 
> >The problem? Sweet peas are poisonous. Eat a couple mixed in with your
> >snow peas and whoops! I don't know if they're killer poisonous or make
> >you very sick poisonous but I wouldn't chance it.
> >Poppy
> >poppie@juno.com
> 
> Can you tell me where I can get more info on this?  I've been eating
> them (whoops is right!) and never felt any ill effects.  Just want to
> make sure this is bona fide info before the spring...
> 
> Laura

Thank you Laura. I've been growing sweetpeas for years and I've never
had confirmation that they are ok for eating. I've been *told* that
they
are poisonous but I've never found any documentary evidence for one
side
or the other. Sweetpeas don't show up on lists of edibles, but neither
do they show up on lists of poisonous plants either.

So? How do they taste? :-)
Marianne

========
dolson@cruzio.com (Laura Dolson) wrote:

>On Tue, 18 Feb 1997 06:56:24 -0500, Marianne Lepa <mlepa@iosphere.net>
>wrote:
>
>>Laura Dolson wrote:
>>> 
>>> On Sun, 16 Feb 1997 15:42:13 GMT, poppie@juno.com (Poppy) wrote:
>>> 
>>> >The problem? Sweet peas are poisonous. Eat a couple mixed in with your
>>> >snow peas and whoops! I don't know if they're killer poisonous or make
>>> >you very sick poisonous but I wouldn't chance it.
>>> >Poppy
>>> >poppie@juno.com
>>> 
>>> Can you tell me where I can get more info on this?  I've been eating
>>> them (whoops is right!) and never felt any ill effects.  Just want to
>>> make sure this is bona fide info before the spring...

>>Thank you Laura. I've been growing sweetpeas for years and I've never
>>had confirmation that they are ok for eating. I've been *told* that they
>>are poisonous but I've never found any documentary evidence for one side
>>or the other. Sweetpeas don't show up on lists of edibles, but neither
>>do they show up on lists of poisonous plants either.
>>
>>So? How do they taste? :-)
>
>Pretty much like...peas.  :-)  Which I happen to like raw when I'm
>strolling about the garden.
>
>BTW, I've tried to find definitive info on this on the Web and
>gardening books, but still no success, nor any mention that sweet peas
>are poisonous. 

Hi folks

In the book, "Toxic Plants & Animals: A Guide For Australia", edited
by
Jeanette Covacevich et al. Queensland Museum, 1987, it states on p.
15:

SWEET PEA
A well-known climbing annual, Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus) has winged
stems and a tendril to each leaf. It flowers from mid-winter to spring
with
erect, stalked clusters of fragment [sic] pea flowers about 5 cm long.
If ingested the seeds can cause paralysis, slow weak pulse,
respiratory
depression and convulsions.

Obvioiusly, "fragment" should read "fragrant".

Another 18 references to more technical publications is at the end of
the
chapter.
If you can't find this book, which I find to be a great reference,
then
I'll list the others for you. (Anything to practice my typing :-)

I wouldn't eat sweet pea seeds.

Take care. Cheers
Alex

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