Common vetch
Prepared by Jennifer L. D’Appollonio, Assistant Scientist, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469. Updated April 2019.
Scientific name: Vicia sativa L.
Common name(s): common vetch, garden vetch, tare
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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- in flower, early July
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- seed pod
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- dried seed pod
Description:
-annual
-herbaceous vine
-climbs
- foliar tendrils
-flowers April-June
- flowers can be blue/purple/white
-leaves are compound and alternate
- 8-16 leaflets
-fruit is a legume
Habitat:
-disturbed areas
-meadows and fields
-open sites
-river shores
Agriculture:
-insect pollinates
-attracts bees
-seeds are dispersed by an explosion of the legumes
-can be cultivated with crops to increase soil fertility
- fixes nitrogen
Natural History:
-native to Europe
-leaves are edible and can be made into tea
-seeds can be dried and used as a protein supplement
- seeds are also known to contain some toxins
Sources:
Go Botany. “Vicia Sativa L.” Vicia Sativa (Common Vetch): Go Botany, 2020, gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/vicia/sativa/.
Burnham, Robyn J. “Vicia Sativa.” CLIMBERS, University of Michigan, 29 July 2013, climbers.lsa.umich.edu/?p=323.