Lathyrus tuberosus is a small, climbing perennial plant, native in moist temperate parts of Europe and Western Asia. The plant is a trailer or weak climber, supported by tendrils, growing to 1.2 m tall. The leaves are pinnate, with two leaflets and a branched twining tendril at the apex of the petiole. Its flowers are hermaphroditic, pollinated by bees. The plants can also spread vegetatively from the root system.

Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants, derived from stems or roots. Tubers help plants perennate, provide energy and nutrients, and are a means of asexual reproduction.