Scientific Name:
Vicia cracca
Pronunciation:
VISS-ee-uh KRAY-kuh
Common Name:
tufted vetch, bird vetch
Family Name:
Fabaceae
Plant Type:
Herbaceous perennial, Invasive plant, Vine or climber, Weed (horticultural)
Key ID Features:
Aggressive choking weed; leaves pinnately compound with 12-24 linear leaflets, most 11-24mm long x 3-5mm wide, some at blade ends form as branched tendrils; racemes axillary, with 20-70 narrow florets on one side, violet to reddish-purple; legumes 1.5-3cm long, brown- nearly black, each with 4-8 seeds.
Habit:
Spreading
Form:
Climbing
Texture:
Fine
Mature Height:
1.3 - 2.0m
Mature Spread:
2 - 3m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Europe
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 3: (-40 to -34 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Rocky or gravelly or dry, Well-drained
Water Use:
Low
Landscape Uses:
Wildlife food
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Compound
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Compound Leaf:
Even-pinnate
Colour in Fall:
Green
Shapes:
Lanceolate
Apices:
Obtuse
Bases:
Obtuse
Margins:
Entire
Inflorescence Type:
Raceme, Floriferous
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Bilabiate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Violet
Flower Scent:
Spicy, Sweet
Flower Time at Peak:
May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
Fruit Type:
Legume
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Jul, Aug, Sep
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Organ Modifications:
Rhizomes, Root nodules (N-fixing), Stipule, leafy, Tendrils
Propagation:
Seed
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant)
