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Vicia americana Muhl. ex Willd.

American vetch (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Fabales > Fabaceae > Vicia

Characteristics

A twining plant. It grows 25-75 cm high. The leaves are alternate and compound. There are 8-14 leaflets. The stipule is small and arrow-shaped. There is a branched tendril. The flowers are bluish-purple and 25 mm long. The fruit is a smooth, flat pod. It is 30 mm long.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support climber
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 1.0
Mature height (meter) 0.6 - 0.75
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) 0.85
Root diameter (meter) 0.4
Flower color -
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Damp or gravelly slopes, thickets and meadows. Found in a wide variety of habitats including moist to dry areas, swampy woods and borders, mixed forests, and clearings.
More
It is a temperate plant. It grows in open woods and grassland. It suits hardiness zones 3-7.
Light 6-8
Soil humidity 2-4
Soil texture 1-6
Soil acidity 3-7
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 4-8

Usage

The seeds are used as food The pods are used as food. The stems are baked or boiled and eaten as greens.
Uses animal food environmental use fiber fodder medicinal
Edible leaves pods seeds shoots
Therapeutic use Dermatological Aid (leaf), Analgesic (leaf), Love Medicine (root), Veterinary Aid (unspecified), Eye Medicine (unspecified), Panacea (unspecified), Ceremonial Medicine (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings. Seeds needs scarification and soaking.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) 21 - 40
Germination temperacture (C°) 18 - 21
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment scarification soaking
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Leaf

Vicia americana leaf picture by Larry Dahl (cc-by-sa)
Vicia americana leaf picture by Lauren senier (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Vicia americana flower picture by Edward Camp (cc-by-sa)
Vicia americana flower picture by Monocycle-ing Linguiste (cc-by-sa)
Vicia americana flower picture by Rejean Bellavance (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Vicia americana world distribution map, present in Argentina, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, and United States of America

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:524512-1
WFO ID wfo-0000174340
COL ID 5BCJH
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Vicia vexillaris Lathyrus diffusus Vicia truncata Vicia washingtonensis Orobus diffusus Vicia oregana Vicia acicularis Vicia californica Vicia hypolasia Abacosa americana Vicia perangusta Vicia pumila Vicia copelandi Vicia caespitosa Vicia callianthema Vicia dissitifolia Lathyrus linearis Vicia trifida Vicia truncata Lathyrus dissitifolius Vicia durbrowii Vicia linearis Vicia oregana Vicia truncata var. villosa Vicia americana subsp. oregana Vicia americana var. pallida Vicia americana var. villosa Vicia californica var. madrensis Vicia perangusta var. latiuscula Vicia americana var. minor Vicia americana subsp. americana Vicia americana subsp. minor Vicia americana var. linearis Vicia americana var. oregana Vicia americana var. angustifolia Vicia americana subsp. truncata Vicia americana subsp. truncata Vicia americana var. truncata Vicia americana var. americana Vicia linearis var. caespitosa Vicia americana
WorldFloraDB 2024