| Distribution | Vouchered from Buncombe, Haywood, and Macon counties in 2008, 1934, and 1970, respectively. Specimens from Davidson, Forsyth, Granville, Johnston, Perquimans, and Pitt counties are referred to V. villosa.
Native of Europe; in N.A. Canada and northern parts of the U.S., south to NC (perhaps also to SC, GA, OK). | |
| Identification | Tufted Vetch is a twining vine that scrambles over other herbs and low shrubs. The stem grows up to 3 feet (or more), with well-spaced leaves that are divided into 8-12 leaflets, alternate to sub-opposite. Replacing the terminal leaflet is a curly tendril. Flowers grow in rather dense racemes as long or longer than the leaves, pale to dark red-purple or violet, the keel often whitish. From V. villosa it differs mainly in the calyx not swollen on one side (vs. swollen), being perennial (vs. annual), and flowers growing on 1 or more sides of the stalk (vs. only on 1 side). Wilbur (1963) has other ID characters. | |
