Tripodion tetraphyllum - Bladder Vetch

Phylum: Magnoliophyta - Class: Equisetopsida - Order: Fabales - Family: Fabaceae

Bladder Vetch, a member of the Pea family, is common throughout the Mediterranean region and is often to be found on waste or cultivated land, road and tracksides.

This plant thrives on bare, stony ground, where it blooms from March until June, and the inflated seed pods turn red as they ripen.

The specimens shown above were photographed in the Algarve in April.