Family: Fabaceae
hairy vetch, winter vetch
Merel R. Black
Paul Drobot
University of Wisconsin - Madison (WIS-VP)
Etymology: Vicia: the classical Latin name for this genus
Plants: climbing, annual/biennial, hairy, up to 3' long forb; stems with spreading hairs
Leaves: pinnately-divided into 5-10 pairs of narrowly- oblong leaflets; leaf tips with tendrils
Flowers: purple, 5-parted, 3/4" long, calyx base very swollen; inflorescence a dense, long-stalked, one-sided cluster (raceme) of 10-40, stalked flowers; blooms June-Aug.
Fruits: 1/2"-3/4" long, smooth pod
Habitat: disturbed sites, fields; in sandy soil
Hazardous: Careful, this plant is hazardous!
Conservation Status: Introduced - naturalized
Plants: climbing, annual/biennial, hairy, up to 3' long forb; stems with spreading hairs
Leaves: pinnately-divided into 5-10 pairs of narrowly- oblong leaflets; leaf tips with tendrils
Flowers: purple, 5-parted, 3/4" long, calyx base very swollen; inflorescence a dense, long-stalked, one-sided cluster (raceme) of 10-40, stalked flowers; blooms June-Aug.
Fruits: 1/2"-3/4" long, smooth pod
Habitat: disturbed sites, fields; in sandy soil
Hazardous: Careful, this plant is hazardous!
Conservation Status: Introduced - naturalized
Fields, pastures, roadsides, streambanks, borrow pits, weedy lots, waste areas, agricultural land and farmyards, cut over woods, pine plantations, trails and logging roads, blufftops, thin Jack pine woods, oak barrens, thickets, forest edges. Often in sandy soil. Our most common introduced species, native to Eurasia and first collected in 1898.
USDA Plants Database: Federal Distribution and detailed information including photos USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS): Images of seeds, fruits, embryos, etc. Dan Tenaglia's The Missouri Flora: Fabulous photographs; detailed descriptions; color and leave arrangement key. Dan Tenaglia's The Missouri Flora: Fabulous photographs; detailed descriptions; color and leave arrangement key. Illinois Wildflowers: Wonderful photographs; detailed descriptions; color and leaf arrangement key
Paul Drobot
Christopher Noll
Paul Drobot
Kitty Kohout
Christopher Noll
Merel R. Black
Merel R. Black
Arthur Meeks
Paul Drobot
Aaron_Carlson
