Family: Fabaceae
common vetch, narrow-leaved vetch, spring vetch
Merel R. Black
Emmet J. Judziewicz
University of Wisconsin - Madison (WIS-VP)
Etymology: Vicia: the classical Latin name for this genus
Plants: Erect to drooping, often climbing, annual, up to 40” long forb
Leaves: pinnately-divided into 4-8 pairs of oblong leaflets, leaf tips with tendrils
Flowers: purple, 5-parted, 1" long, style tip hairy on the outer side only; inflorescence of 1 or usually a pair of nearly stalkless flowers from the upper leaf axils; blooms July-Sept.
Fruits: flattened, light brown pod with 4-12 seeds
Habitat: moderate moisture; disturbed sites
Conservation Status: Introduced - escaped
Plants: Erect to drooping, often climbing, annual, up to 40” long forb
Leaves: pinnately-divided into 4-8 pairs of oblong leaflets, leaf tips with tendrils
Flowers: purple, 5-parted, 1" long, style tip hairy on the outer side only; inflorescence of 1 or usually a pair of nearly stalkless flowers from the upper leaf axils; blooms July-Sept.
Fruits: flattened, light brown pod with 4-12 seeds
Habitat: moderate moisture; disturbed sites
Conservation Status: Introduced - escaped
Fields, roadsides, pine plantations, railroad corridors, clay bluffs, riverbanks, gardens, farmyards, landscaped areas, sandstone bluffs, prairies, thickets, wooded pastures, burned-over areas, Lake Michigan dunes, ditches, wet meadows, lakeshores. A European species originally brought to America as a forage crop. First collected in 1886.
Floristic Rating: Wetland Indicator = FACU- USDA Plants Database: Federal Distribution and detailed information including photos Dan Tenaglia's The Missouri Flora: Fabulous photographs; detailed descriptions; color and leave arrangement key.
Emmet J. Judziewicz
Emmet J. Judziewicz
John M. Schoeneker
Joshua J. Nemec
Botanical Illustration
