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American vetch, purple vetch

Florida vetch

Habit Herbs perennial. Herbs perennial.
Stems

erect, trailing, or climbing, slender to stout, to 20 dm.

sprawling or climbing, filiform, 3–8 dm.

Leaves

2–8 cm;

tendrils simple or branched;

stipules much smaller than leaflets, semisagittate, without nectariferous patch;

leaflets 8–18, blades ovate or elliptic to linear, 3–44 × 1–19 mm, apex obtuse to truncate-emarginate, or apiculate, surfaces glabrous or finely pubescent.

3–5 cm;

tendrils simple;

stipules much smaller than leaflets, semisagittate, without nectariferous patch;

leaflets 2–6, blades usually broadly elliptic to oblong or oblanceolate, sometimes linear, 7–18 × 2–8 mm, apex obtuse, surfaces glabrous.

Inflorescences

3–9-flowered, 2–8 cm, shorter than or equal to subtending leaf rachis.

2–8-flowered, 2–5 cm, shorter to longer than subtending leaf rachis.

Flowers

12–25 mm;

calyx base symmetric, lobes subequal, shorter than tube;

corolla usually bluish purple, rarely white, banner oblong, blade equal to claw, glabrous;

style compressed abaxially, pubescent apically, tufted abaxially.

5–6 mm;

calyx base symmetric, lobes equal, much shorter than tube;

corolla white to bluish, banner pandurate, blade equal to claw, glabrous;

style compressed adaxially, pubescent apically.

Legumes

tawny to brown, oblong, 25–39 × 5–9 mm, oblique-tipped, glabrous or pubescent;

stipe to 4–5 mm.

brown to black, broadly oblong, 8–15 × 3–5 mm, oblique-tipped, glabrous;

stipe to 1–2 mm.

Seeds

number not known, olive-brown to deep violet-brown, subglobose, 3–4 mm diam.;

hilum encircling 1/4–1/3 circumference of seed.

1 or 2, purplish black, compressed-globose, 3 mm diam.;

hilum encircling 1/2–3/4 circumference of seed.

Vicia americana

Vicia floridana

Phenology Flowering Apr–May.
Habitat Moist soils, ditches, roadsides.
Elevation 0–100 m. [0–300 ft.]
Distribution
from USDA
North America; n Mexico; e Asia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; GA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (2 in the flora).

Vicia americana consists of a polymorphic assemblage of populations among which leaflet size, shape, and vestiture is variable. Intergradation is widespread. C. R. Gunn (1968) described two relatively distinct entities which may represent the extremes of a continuum of variation in some regions. Variety sinensis C. R. Gunn occurs in eastern Asia.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Vicia floridana is distinguished from V. acutifolia by the broader leaflets (elliptic to lanceolate versus linear) and shorter (8–15 mm versus 20–25 mm) fruits.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Stems usually 4–20 dm, trailing or climbing; leaves with branched tendrils; inflorescences (3–)4–9-flowered.
var. americana
1. Stems usually to 4 dm, erect; leaves often with simple tendrils; inflorescences 3–4(–5)-flowered.
var. minor
Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11. Treatment author: Steven L. Broich.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Vicia Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Vicia
Sibling taxa
V. acutifolia, V. benghalensis, V. caroliniana, V. cracca, V. disperma, V. faba, V. floridana, V. grandiflora, V. hassei, V. hirsuta, V. lathyroides, V. leucophaea, V. ludoviciana, V. lutea, V. minutiflora, V. narbonensis, V. nigricans, V. ocalensis, V. pannonica, V. pulchella, V. sativa, V. sepium, V. tetrasperma, V. villosa
V. acutifolia, V. americana, V. benghalensis, V. caroliniana, V. cracca, V. disperma, V. faba, V. grandiflora, V. hassei, V. hirsuta, V. lathyroides, V. leucophaea, V. ludoviciana, V. lutea, V. minutiflora, V. narbonensis, V. nigricans, V. ocalensis, V. pannonica, V. pulchella, V. sativa, V. sepium, V. tetrasperma, V. villosa
Subordinate taxa
V. americana var. americana, V. americana var. minor
Name authority Muhlenburg ex Willdenow: Sp. Pl. 3: 1096. (1802) S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 14: 292. (1879)
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