Vicia americana (American Vetch) - photos and description
Vicia americana plant with tendrils attached to nearby woody stem of
a shrub
Tendrils attached to nearby woody stem of shrub
General: Perennial climbing legume, stems square, and with stem tips having tendrils. Plants have very short hairs on stems.
Flowers: Flowers grow in racemes, are purple-blue to pink in colour. Flower measured to 2 cm long.
Leaves: Leaves are alternate, pinnate, we counted up to 11 leaflets. Leaflets are oblong, leaflet measured to 25 mm long and 6 mm wide. Leaflets strongly veined on top. There are very short hairs on leaf top and bottom.
Height: Budd's Flora lists length of stems to 80 cm, we measured stems to 43 cm long.
Habitat: Bluffs, ravines, and shady prairie.
Abundance: Common.
Origin: Native.
When and where photographed: Took the above photos May 29th, prairie hillside in the Qu'Appelle Valley, about 100 km east of Regina, and June 17th, prairie hillside near Claybank about 70 km south of Regina.