Vicia villosa

Flower name
Vicia villosa
Scientific name
Vicia villosa
Alias弱草藤, hairy vetch, fodder vetch, ヘアリーベッチ
Place of originEurope, Central Asia and Iran
Place of floweringFields and footpaths
Flowering seasonMay, June, July, August

What is Vicia villosa

Vicia villosa, hairy vetch or fodder vetch (Vicia villosa) is an annual herbaceous vine in the legume family Fabaceae, native to Europe, Central Asia and Iran. It is a naturalized plant cultivated as a forage crop. It grows wild along roadsides and riverbeds in Honshu and Okinawa. The leaves are evenly pinnate compound leaves with branched tendrils at the tips. The lobes are oblong-ovate in shape. It produces reddish-purple butterfly-shaped flowers unilaterally from the leaf axils. V. villosa is similar to V. cracca, but the flag petals have only half the length of the claws, while the claws are the same length as the flag petals.

Common name: Vicia villosa, scientific name: Vicia villosa, aka: hairy vetch or fodder vetch, 1.5-2 m long, leaf shape: evenly pinnate compound, leaflets: oblong-ovate, Vine length: 1.5 to 2 m, Leaf shape: evenly pinnate compound; leaflets: oblong-ovate; inflorescence: alternate; inflorescence shape: entire; flower color: bluish purple to reddish purple; flowerlets: 1.5 cm long, Flowerlet Diameter: 0.5 cm, Flowerlet Shape: Butterfly, Flowering Season: May-August, Fruit Type: Bean Fruit, Fruit Shape: Flattened Oval.