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beautiful vetch, showy vetch, sweetclover vetch

fourleaf vetch, sand vetch

Habit Herbs perennial. Herbs perennial.
Stems

sprawling or climbing, slender, 2–15 dm.

few, sprawling or climbing, slender, 2–15 dm.

Leaves

4–11 cm;

tendrils branched;

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

leaflets 10–16, blades elliptic-oblong to linear, 7–30 × 1–11 mm, apex obtuse, abaxial surface glabrous, adaxial often sparsely long-pubescent.

2–6 cm;

tendrils simple or branched;

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

leaflets (2 or)4(or 6), blades narrowly lanceolate to linear, 15–30 × 1–5 mm, apex obtuse, surfaces glabrous or sparsely long-pubescent.

Inflorescences

8–25-flowered, 2–15 cm, shorter to longer than subtending leaf rachis.

4–10-flowered, 2–7 cm, longer than subtending leaf rachis.

Flowers

4–7 mm;

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

corolla cream-white with purple-tipped keel, banner pandurate, blade equal to claw, glabrous;

style compressed adaxially, pubescent evenly for some length along style.

6–8 mm;

calyx base symmetric, lobes unequal, longest one shorter than tube;

corolla pale blue or lavender to white, banner pandurate, blade subequal to claw, glabrous;

style compressed adaxially, evenly pubescent apically.

Legumes

reddish brown, oblong, 20–35 × 5–8 mm, acute-tipped, glabrous;

stipe 1–2 mm.

brown to black, linear-oblong, 20–25 × 4–6 mm, oblique-tipped, sparsely long-pubescent;

stipe to 1–2 mm.

Seeds

5–9, purplish black, compressed-subglobose, 2–3 mm diam.;

hilum encircling 1/4 circumference of seed.

4–8, purplish black, compressed-globose, 2–2.5 mm diam.;

hilum encircling 2/3 circumference of seed.

Vicia pulchella

Vicia acutifolia

Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep. Flowering Apr–May.
Habitat Pine woods, juniper grasslands, moist meadows, open stony hillsides. Wet woodlands, margins of swamps, wet ditches, sandy soils.
Elevation 1500–3000 m. (4900–9800 ft.) 0–100 m. (0–300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; GA; SC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Typical Vicia acutifolia has four leaflets. Populations in the northern part of its range in Georgia and South Carolina sometimes have six somewhat broader leaflets, which may indicate intergradation with V. caroliniana (D. Isely 1990). Vicia acutifolia differs from V. floridana in its longer fruits, flowers, leaflets, and inflorescences.

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

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Vicia Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Vicia
Sibling taxa
V. acutifolia, V. americana, 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. sativa, V. sepium, V. tetrasperma, V. villosa
V. americana, 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
Synonyms V. melilotoides
Name authority Kunth in A. von Humboldt et al.: Nov. Gen. Sp. 6(fol.): 390; 6(qto.): 499; plate 583. (1824) Elliott: Sketch Bot. S. Carolina 2: 225. (1823)
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