American vetch
(Vicia americana var. americana)
Conservation • Wetland • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Use • Distribution • Taxonomy
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Description |
American vetch is a trailing or climbing perennial forb. The stems recline on the ground. They extend 16″ to 40″. They are hairless and often zigzagged. The leaves are alternate and pinnately divided into 4 to 8 pairs of leaflets. Each leaf has a tendril in place of a terminal leaflet and an even total number of leaflets. The tendril has several branches. There are a pair of conspicuous, leaf-like stipules at the base of each leaf stalk. The stipules are sharply toothed, about ⅛″ long, and about 7 ⁄16″ wide. The leaflets are egg-shaped or elliptic, ⅜″ to 1″ long, and 3 ⁄16″ to ½″ wide. They are thin, not stiff. The leaf tips are blunt or broadly rounded and tipped with a short, sharp, abrupt point. There are numerous lateral veins leaving the midrib at an angle of about 45°, branching, and then rejoining and forming an intertwining network before reaching the margin. The upper and lower surfaces of the leaflet blade are hairless or sparsely covered with appressed hairs. The margins are untoothed. The inflorescence is a loose, unbranched cluster (raceme) of 2 to 9 short-stalked flowers. The raceme is uncrowded and more or less one-sided. It is on a stalk rising from a leaf axil. The stalk is shorter than the subtending leaf. The flowers are ⅝″ to 1 1 ⁄16″ long. There are 5 sepals fused for most of their length into a hairy, ¼″ to 5 ⁄16″ long, cylinder-shaped calyx tube. The 5 petals are purple to blue and form a butterfly-like corolla, typical of plants in the Pea family. They are organized into a banner petal at the top, two lateral wing petals, and between the wings two petals fused into a keel. The banner is notched at the tip. The fruit is a pod, about 1″ long, containing 8 to 14 seeds. |
Height |
Trailing, up to 40″ long. |
Flower Color |
Purple to blue |
Similar Species |
American purple vetch (Vicia americana var. minor) leaflets are thick, narrowly linear, and densely hairy. They have prominent, unbranched lateral veins that leave the midrib at a narrow angle. Common vetch (Vicia sativa) leaflets are indented at the tip. The flowers appear singly or in pairs from the leaf axils. Cow vetch (Vicia cracca ssp. cracca) flowers are borne in a crowded, one-sided spike. Winter vetch (Vicia villosa) flowers are borne in a crowded, one-sided spike. |
Habitat |
Moist. Woods, meadows. |
Ecology |
Flowering |
June to August |
Pests and Diseases |
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Use |
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Distribution |
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Sources Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu, 6/25/2025). |
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| 6/25/2025 | ||
Nativity |
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Native |
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Occurrence |
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Widespread |
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Taxonomy |
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Kingdom |
Plantae (green algae and land plants) |
Subkingdom |
Viridiplantae (green plants) |
Infrakingdom |
Streptophyta (land plants and green algae) |
Superdivision |
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Division |
Tracheophyta (vascular plants) |
Subdivision |
Spermatophytina (seed plants) / Angiospermae (flowering plants) |
Class |
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Superorder |
Rosanae |
Order |
Fabales (legumes, milkworts, and allies) |
Family |
Fabaceae (legumes) |
Subfamily |
Faboideae |
Tribe |
Fabeae (peas, vetches, and allies) |
Genus |
Vicia (vetches) |
Subgenus |
Vicilla |
Section |
Americanae |
Species |
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Subordinate Taxa |
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Synonyms |
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Vicia americana ssp. oregana Vicia americana ssp. americana Vicia americana var. oregana Vicia americana var. truncata Vicia americana var. villosa Vicia californica Vicia californica var. madrensis Vicia oregana Vicia sparsifolia var. truncata Vicia truncata Vicia truncata var. villosa |
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Common Names |
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American vetch pea-vine purple vetch |
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Glossary
Axil
The upper angle where the leaf stalk meets the stem.
Calyx
The group of outer floral leaves (sepals) below the petals, occasionally forming a tube.
Caudex
A short, thickened, woody, persistent enlargement of the stem, at or below ground level, used for water storage.
Corolla
A collective name for all of the petals of a flower.
Pinnate
On a compound leaf, having the leaflets arranged on opposite sides of a common stalk. On a bryophyte, having branches evenly arranged on opposite sides of a stem.
Raceme
An unbranched, elongated inflorescence with stalked flowers. The flowers mature from the bottom up.
Sepal
An outer floral leaf, usually green but sometimes colored, at the base of a flower.
Stipule
A small, leaf-like, scale-like, glandular, or rarely spiny appendage found at the base of a leaf stalk, usually occurring in pairs and usually dropping soon.
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Plant |
Inflorescence |
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Inflorescence |
Flowers |
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Flowers |
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Flowers |
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Visitor Sightings |
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Dan W. Andree |
Location: Frenchman’s Bluff SNA |
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Dan W. Andree |
Location: Frenchman’s Bluff SNA |
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| Luciearl 6/10/2019 |
Location: Fairview Twp, Cass County |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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Created: 5/30/2006 Last Updated: © MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved. |