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Vicia americana
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American Vetch
( Vicia americana )
Vicia americana
More Photos at CalPhotos
More Info at Jepson eFlora
Calflora
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4 Nurseries Carry This Plant
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About American Vetch (Vicia americana)
4 Nurseries Carry This Plant
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Vicia americana
is a species of legume in the vetch genus known by the common names American vetch and purple vetch. It includes a subspecies known as mat vetch. It is a climbing perennial forb that grows from both taproot and rhizome. The leaves are each made up of oblong leaflets and have tendrils for climbing. It bears showy pea-like flowers in shades of lavender and fuchsia. The fruit is a hairless pod about 3 centimeters long that contains usually two light brown peas. American vetch is widespread across North America. It is a common understory plant in many types of forest and other habitats such as chaparral and it provides forage for wild and domesticated animals. This vetch is used to reclaim burned or disturbed land, such as that which has been cleared by wildfire or altered by human activities such as mining or construction. It is drought-tolerant and thrives in both dry and moist habitats.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Vine, Perennial herb
Size
1.3 ft tall
Form
Mounding
Growth Rate
Moderate
Flower Color
Purple, Pink, Lavender
Flowering Season
Spring
Wildlife Supported
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 4
confirmed
, 17
likely
* )
SHOW ALL
Clouded Sulphur
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Colias philodice
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Colias alexandra
Colias alexandra
Western Tailed-Blue
Cupido amyntula
Cupido amyntula
Chionodes braunella
Chionodes braunella
*
Orange Sulphur
Colias eurytheme
Colias eurytheme
*
Silvery Blue
Glaucopsyche lygdamus
Glaucopsyche lygdamus
*
Northern Cloudywing
Thorybes pylades
Thorybes pylades
Landscaping Information
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade
Nurseries
Carried by 4
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy
Soil Description
Prefers sandy or loamy soils. Does not grow well in clay soils.
Common uses
Butterfly Gardens
Natural Setting
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 5.2" - 158.0", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 5.80", Coldest Month: 27.0" - 57.1", Hottest Month: 49.2" - 80.8", Humidity: 0.09" - 33.76", Elevation: 1" - 8772"
Alternative Names
Common Names
: Purple Vetch
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American Vetch
Vicia americana
Sources include:
Wikipedia
. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the
California Consortia of Herbaria
, Sunset information provided by
Jepson Flora Project
. Propogation from seed information provided by the
Santa Barbara Botanical Garden
from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include
CalPhotos
,
Wikimedia Commons
, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include
Calflora
,
CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online
,
Jepson Flora Project
,
Las Pilitas
,
Theodore Payne
,
Tree of Life
,
The Xerces Society
, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from
PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.
Links:
Jepson eFlora Taxon Page
CalPhotos
Wikipedia
Calflora
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