diff --git a/org.springframework.expression/src/main/java/org/springframework/expression/spel/standard/Tokenizer.java b/org.springframework.expression/src/main/java/org/springframework/expression/spel/standard/Tokenizer.java
index 10e2cbcee5b..5126222876a 100644
--- a/org.springframework.expression/src/main/java/org/springframework/expression/spel/standard/Tokenizer.java
+++ b/org.springframework.expression/src/main/java/org/springframework/expression/spel/standard/Tokenizer.java
@@ -57,6 +57,9 @@ class Tokenizer {
 				case '+':
 					pushCharToken(TokenKind.PLUS);
 					break;
+				case '_': // the other way to start an identifier
+					lexIdentifier();
+					break;
 				case '-':
 					pushCharToken(TokenKind.MINUS);
 					break;
diff --git a/org.springframework.expression/src/test/java/org/springframework/expression/spel/EvaluationTests.java b/org.springframework.expression/src/test/java/org/springframework/expression/spel/EvaluationTests.java
index abd11dfabd7..e8d24fafbe1 100644
--- a/org.springframework.expression/src/test/java/org/springframework/expression/spel/EvaluationTests.java
+++ b/org.springframework.expression/src/test/java/org/springframework/expression/spel/EvaluationTests.java
@@ -222,6 +222,12 @@ public class EvaluationTests extends ExpressionTestCase {
 		evaluateAndCheckError("madeup", SpelMessage.PROPERTY_OR_FIELD_NOT_READABLE, 0, "madeup",
 				"org.springframework.expression.spel.testresources.Inventor");
 	}
+	
+	@Test
+	public void testPropertyField02_SPR7100() {
+		evaluate("_name", "Nikola Tesla", String.class);
+		evaluate("_name_", "Nikola Tesla", String.class);
+	}
 
 	@Test
 	public void testRogueTrailingDotCausesNPE_SPR6866() {
@@ -408,6 +414,7 @@ public class EvaluationTests extends ExpressionTestCase {
 		evaluate("'christian'[8]", "n", String.class);
 	}
 	
+	
 	@Test
 	public void testIndexerError() {
 		evaluateAndCheckError("new org.springframework.expression.spel.testresources.Inventor().inventions[1]",SpelMessage.CANNOT_INDEX_INTO_NULL_VALUE);
diff --git a/org.springframework.expression/src/test/java/org/springframework/expression/spel/testresources/Inventor.java b/org.springframework.expression/src/test/java/org/springframework/expression/spel/testresources/Inventor.java
index a7a7039d841..eba7a8b3f45 100644
--- a/org.springframework.expression/src/test/java/org/springframework/expression/spel/testresources/Inventor.java
+++ b/org.springframework.expression/src/test/java/org/springframework/expression/spel/testresources/Inventor.java
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ import java.util.Map;
 @SuppressWarnings("unused")
 public class Inventor {
 	private String name;
+	public String _name;
+	public String _name_;
 	public String publicName;
 	private PlaceOfBirth placeOfBirth;
 	private Date birthdate;
@@ -36,6 +38,8 @@ public class Inventor {
 	
 	public Inventor(String name, Date birthdate, String nationality) {
 		this.name = name;
+		this._name = name;
+		this._name_ = name;
 		this.birthdate = birthdate;
 		this.nationality = nationality;
 		this.arrayContainer = new ArrayContainer();