Blue Edged Sweet Pea

Gardeners' Chronicle p 160, March 6, 1897: In 1837 I notice Mr. Carter offers a similar list, with a striped form added; whilst in 1850 he includes "new large-flowered." In 1860 he gives nine varieties aod a yellow-flowered one, and also blue-edged, to which the Royal Horticultural Society gave a First-class Certificate many years later. On August 22, 1883, this novelty was first named Blue Hybrid, and it was understood to have been a true hybrid between the annual white Sweet Pea and the perennial Lord Anson's Blue, now almost lost to cultivation. It was the outcome of a series of experiments made with the object of raising a real blue flowered variety by Col. Trevor Clarke of Daventry.

Gardeners' Chronicle p 50, July 21, 1900: From that time till 1860 little seems to have been done till the last-named year, when a blue-edged variety was brought out, and said to have been a true cross between the annual white Sweet Pea and the perennial Lord Anson's blue. Were it not that the name of Col. Trevor Clarke is mentioned as the raiser, we should not have attached much importance to the statement. It is not mentioned in Dr. Focke's standard book on Hybridisation.

D B Crane, The Book of the Sweet Pea, 1910: Reverting to 1860 we find a blue-edged variety was offered by Mr James Carter to which the Royal Horticultural Society gave a First Class Certificate at a later date. Twenty-three years later (1883) this same variety was first named Blue Hybrid. It was understood to be a true hybrid between the perennial Lord Anson's Blue and the annual white Sweet Pea. It was one of a series of experiments that were made, with the definite object of procuring a real blue-flowered kind, by Colonel Trevor Clarke of Daventry. Not the least interesting fact in this connection is that Butterfly, offered by Messrs Sutton & Sons, in 1880, is practically identical with this variety.

Annual report, Volume 2, Part 1 By New York (State) Dept. of Agriculture p 687: In 1860 Mr. Carter offered nine varieties, besides a yellow-flowered variety and the variety Blue Edged. The last-named variety was white, with a well-marked blue edge, and it was stated that it was the result of many experiments made by Major Trevor Clarke, of Daventry, in crossing a pure white sweet pea with the perennial bright-blue-flowered Lord Anson's pea, L. Magellanicus. Later, in 1883, under the name "Blue Hybrid," this variety received the First Class Certificate of the Royal Horticultural Society.

There is more than a little confusion as to the identity and proper name of Lord Anson's Blue Pea reportedly used to produce Blue Edged. Here are two possibilities.

Lathyrus magellanicus
http://www.lathyrus.info/species/magellanicus.html

Lathyrus nervosus
http://www.lathyrus.info/species/nervosus.html