Crownvetch
Prepared by Jennifer L. D’Appollonio, Assistant Scientist, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469. November 2011.
Scientific name: Securigera varia (L.) Lassen
Common name(s): crownvetch, crown vetch, purple crown vetch
Link(s): USDA PLANTS Profile, Go Botany
Images: (to see enlargements [PC]: click on image, then right click and choose “view image”)
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- late July
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- seed pods, late July
Description:
-perennial
-legume
-dark green pinnately compound leaves
- 15 leaflets
-spreads through branched rhizomes
-pinkish white flower clusters
-has tendrils for climbing
-considered invasive in some areas
Habitat:
-grows in low fertility sites
-acidic soils
-needs moist soils for the growing condition
-can persist in droughts
Agriculture:
-erosion control
- strong stabilizing root systems
-dominates over other species
-provides foraging for livestock
Management:
-can be clipped for weed control
Natural History:
-introduced from the Mediterranean region
Sources:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Plant Fact Sheet.” CROWNVETCH Coronilla Varia L., plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_cova2.pdf.