Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Account for Garden Vetch - Vicia sativa   L.
Members of Fabaceae:
Members of Vicia with account distribution info or public map:
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Section 6 » Order Fabales » Family Fabaceae
AuthorL.
DistributionThroughout the state, probably in every county.

Native of Mediterranean Europe; in N.A. throughout, except the Far North.
AbundanceCommon to very common; frequent in the Mountains.
HabitatRoadsides, fields, meadows, yard weed, lawn weed, vacant lots, clearings, disturbed ground.
PhenologyFlowering March-October.
IdentificationGarden Vetch usually grows rather erect and 1-2 feet tall (reportedly to 3 feet). Leaves are divided into 4-8 pairs of leaflets that vary from elliptic to obovate and with a nearly truncate tip, to narrowly elliptic to linear and taper-pointed. The flowers occur in leaf axils, generally sessile, 1-3 cm long, red-purple (not bluish or violet) -- usually just 1-2 flowers in bloom at a time in each axil.
Taxonomic CommentsThe various entities within Garden Vetch have been treated in the past in different ways, as varieties, subspecies, or at least 2 species. We lump them here for convenience. A synonym is V. angustifolia.

Other Common Name(s)
State RankSE
Global RankGNR
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US Status
USACE-agcpFACU link
USACE-empFACU link
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B.A. SorrieYard weed, Whispering Pines, April 2015. MoorePhoto_non_natural
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