Flora of North America species comparison

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Vicia sativa

Vicia

common vetch, garden vetch, spring vetch, tare

vetch
Habit Herbs annual. Herbs, annual, biennial, or perennial, unarmed.
Stems

erect-ascending or climbing, slender to robust, 3–10 dm.

erect, sprawling, or climbing, angled, not winged, glabrous or pubescent, hairs unicellular, eglandular.
Leaves

3–8 cm;

tendrils simple or branched;

stipules foliose, approaching leaflets in size, semisagittate, with nectariferous patch abaxially;

leaflets 8–14, blades ovate-oblong, narrowly elliptic, or linear [obovate], 15–30 × 5–15 mm, apex obtuse to truncate-emarginate, distinctly apiculate, surfaces hirsute.

alternate, even-pinnate;

stipules present, persistent, inconspicuous or foliose, with or without nectariferous patch;

rachis not winged, usually terminating in a simple or branched, sometimes mucronate, tendril; petiolate;

leaflets 2–30, usually scattered, ptyxis conduplicate (except in some V. faba), blade margins entire or serrate, surfaces glabrous or pubescent.
Inflorescences

usually (1 or)2(–4)-flowered, 0–1 cm.

2–50-flowered, axillary, racemes, flowers solitary, erect or lax;

bracts and bracteoles absent.
Flowers

10–30 mm;

calyx base symmetric, lobes subequal, ± equal to tube;

corolla violet-purple, lavender, or whitish, banner stenonychioid, blade shorter than or equal to claw, glabrous;

style compressed abaxially, pubescent apically, tufted abaxially.

papilionaceous, chasmogamous or cleistogamous;

calyx campanulate, symmetric or oblique, 2-lipped, base sometimes gibbous, lobes 5, equal or unequal, some or all lobes at least 1/2 as long as tube;

corolla white, cream, yellow, rose, lilac, blue, purple, lavender, or violet, wings and keel often lighter than banner, 2–35 mm;

stamens 10, diadelphous;

anthers dorsifixed, uniform;

ovary glabrous or pubescent;

style terete or compressed abaxially or adaxially, not twisted, usually encircled with short hairs just proximal to stigma and/or apically tufted abaxially.
Fruits

legumes, sessile or stipitate, terete or flattened, oblong, oblong-falcate, linear, or elliptic, dehiscent, valves twisted after dehiscence, non-septate, margins usually obscure, splitting along both margins, glabrous, glabrate, or pubescent.
Legumes

yellow to brown, or reddish brown to black, linear, 25–60 × 3–11 mm, oblique-tipped, glabrous or pubescent;

stipe absent.

Seeds

4–12, usually greenish gray to maroon or black, rarely yellowish white, globose or ± compressed, 3–5 mm diam.;

hilum encircling 1/6–1/5 circumference of seed.

2–15, usually brown or black, often spherical, sometimes angular.
x

= 6, 7.

Vicia sativa

Vicia
Distribution
from USDA
Europe; w Asia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico, South America, elsewhere in Asia, Africa, Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
North America; Mexico; s South America; Europe; Asia; n Africa; Mediterranean region [Introduced in temperate regions worldwide]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 7 (2 in the flora).

D. Zohary and U. Plitmann (1979) provided a detailed description of the morphological and genetic variation found within the Vicia sativa complex. Of the seven infraspecific taxa they described, two (vars. angustifolia and sativa) are cultivated as forage crops and widely introduced in the flora area. Variety angustifolia is an aggressive colonizer of cultivated and disturbed habitats.

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

Species ca. 140 (25 in the flora).

F. K. Kupicha (1976) partitioned Vicia into two subgenera (subg. Vicia and subg. Vicilla) and 22 sections. Vicia species native to North America belong to subg. Vicilla (Schur) Rouy, which includes about 75% of all Vicia; nine of the 12 native Vicia are included in sect. Cracca Dumortier, which contains about 30% of all Vicia. Of the remaining native species, two [V. americana (sect. Americanae Kupicha), and V. leucophaea (sect. Mediocinctae Kupicha)] belong to monospecific sections; the third (V. nigricans) has been placed in sect. Cassubicae Radzhi, which includes another eight perennial European and Asian species. Vicia is predominantly diploid with 2n = 12 or 14. Chromosome counts have been reported for five of the 12 species native to the flora area. There has been no worldwide treatment of the genus at the species level. Vicia in North America was last reviewed by F. J. Hermann (1960) and summarized by D. Isely (1998).

Recent phylogenetic studies (M. F. Wojciechowski et al. 2004) have placed Vicia consistently within the Vicieae as delimited by F. K. Kupicha (1981). The nearest sister group to the Vicieae appears to be Trifolium, but not directly other Trifolieae. Infra-generic relationships within Vicia continue to be explored (M. Leht 2005; Choi B. et al. 2006; Y. Endo et al. 2008; H. Schaefer et al. 2012).

Of the 13 Vicia species introduced to North America, seven probably arrived as agricultural crops and have become locally established to widely naturalized. Agricultural interest in Vicia species has stimulated extensive work on seeds and seedling morphology (F. J. Hermann 1960; C. R. Gunn 1970b; C. N. Nozzolillo 1977; J. S. Lassetter 1978). Seed descriptions reported here are (mostly) from Hermann.

Banner blade and styler morphology have become important indicators of intrageneric relationships within Vicia (F. K. Kupicha 1976; Choi B. et al. 2006; Y. Endo et al. 2008). Banner petals can be oblong (blade and claw of nearly equal width), pandurate (blade and claw of nearly equal width and with constriction between), or stenonychioid (blade notably wider than the claw).

Styles can be terete in cross section, compressed abaxially (perpendicular to the axis of the ovary) or compressed adaxially (parallel to the axis of the ovary). Abaxially compressed styles can be uniformly pubescent near the stigma or tufted with longer hairs adaxially. Descriptions reported here are from F. K. Kupicha 1976, Choi B. et al. 2006, or personal observation.

Unless otherwise noted, the length of leaves listed herein includes petiole and rachis but not tendrils; inflorescence length includes peduncle and raceme at mid flowering; and flower length includes distance from base of calyx to distal margins of wing petals.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Flowers 18–30 mm; calyx lobes usually equal to tube; legumes yellow to brown, pubescent.
var. sativa
1. Flowers 10–18(–20) mm; calyx lobes usually slightly shorter than tube; legumes reddish brown to black, glabrous.
var. angustifolia
1. Stipules with nectariferous patch abaxially; inflorescences 2–7-flowered, to 1 cm or flowers solitary, shorter than subtending leaf rachis [subg. Vicia].
→ 2
2. Stipules much smaller than leaflets.
V. sepium
2. Stipules foliose, approaching leaflets in size.
→ 3
3. Calyx lobes equal or subequal.
→ 4
4. Flowers 5–8 mm.
V. lathyroides
4. Flowers 10–35 mm.
→ 5
5. Calyx lobes ± equal to tube; corollas violet-purple, lavender, or whitish.
V. sativa
5. Calyx lobes shorter than tube; corollas yellow suffused with violet.
V. grandiflora
3. Calyx lobes unequal.
→ 6
6. Herbs stout; calyx lobes longer than tube.
→ 7
7. Leaflet surfaces glabrous; tendrils absent.
V. faba
7. Leaflet surfaces sparsely pubescent; tendrils simple or branched.
V. narbonensis
6. Herbs usually slender or robust; abaxial calyx lobes subequal to tube.
→ 8
8. Banners glabrous; corollas pale to bright yellow.
V. lutea
8. Banners pubescent adaxially; corollas cream, sometimes with purplish tinge.
V. pannonica
1. Stipules without nectariferous patch; inflorescences 2–50-flowered, 1–25 cm, or flowers solitary, somewhat shorter, equaling, or exceeding subtending leaf rachis [subg. Vicilla].
→ 9
9. Leaflets 16–30; flowers 15–25 mm, banners oblong.
V. nigricans
9. Leaflets (2–)4–18(–24); flowers 2–18(–25) mm, banners oblong, pandurate, or stenonychioid.
→ 10
10. Banners oblong or stenonychioid; calyx base symmetric; styles terete or compressed abaxially.
→ 11
11. Herbs annual; flowers 2–6 mm.
→ 12
12. Legumes hirsute, tip oblique.
V. hirsuta
12. Legumes glabrous, tip rounded, style attached to center of curve.
V. tetrasperma
11. Herbs perennial; flowers 7–25 mm.
→ 13
13. Leaflets 8–18, blade surfaces glabrous or finely pubescent; inflorescences 3–9-flowered; flowers 12–25 mm, styles abaxially compressed.
V. americana
13. Leaflets 6–8, blade surfaces long-villous abaxially, glabrous adaxially; inflorescences 2-flowered or flowers solitary; flowers 7–9 mm, styles terete.
V. leucophaea
10. Banners pandurate; calyx base symmetric or gibbous; styles compressed adaxially.
→ 14
14. Flowers 8–18 mm.
→ 15
15. Leaflets (2 or)4(or 6); inflorescences 5–10-flowered; flowers 8–12 mm.
V. ocalensis
15. Leaflets 10–24; inflorescences (2–)7–50-flowered; flowers 8–18 mm.
→ 16
16. Herbs perennial; calyx base symmetric or slightly gibbous; banners equal to or longer than claws; legumes 4–8 mm diam.
→ 17
17. Stipules semisagittate; corollas usually blue-violet or purple, some­times lilac or whitish; calyx lobes unequal.
V. cracca
17. Stipules ligulate; corollas white with blue tip; calyx lobes subequal.
V. caroliniana
16. Herbs annual or biennial; calyx base gibbous; banners 1/2 length or equal to claws; legumes 6–12 mm diam.
→ 18
18. Legumes glabrous; widely distributed.
V. villosa
18. Legumes densely villous; California.
V. benghalensis
14. Flowers 2–12 mm.
→ 19
19. Proximal leaves with 2–8 leaflets; longest calyx lobes usually shorter than tube.
→ 20
20. Herbs annual; inflorescences 1- or 2-flowered.
→ 21
21. Legumes reddish brown, narrowly oblong-falcate, 15–30 × 4–5 mm, apiculate, glabrous; stipe absent.
V. minutiflora
21. Legumes tawny, oblong, 22–38 × 5–7 mm, oblique-tipped, strongly reticulate-veined, glabrous or finely pubescent; stipe to 2–3 mm.
V. hassei
20. Herbs perennial; inflorescences 2–10-flowered.
→ 22
22. Legumes 8–15 mm; flowers 2–5 mm; leaflets 7–18 mm.
V. floridana
22. Legumes 20–45 mm; flowers 6–12 mm; leaflets 15–40 mm.
→ 23
23. Legumes 20–25 mm; flowers 6–8 mm; leaflets 15–30 mm.
V. acutifolia
23. Legumes 40–45 mm; flowers 8–12 mm; leaflets 30–40 mm.
V. ocalensis
19. Proximal leaves with 7–24 leaflets; longest calyx lobes equal to or longer than tube.
→ 24
24. Herbs annual; stipules semisagittate; corollas blue to bluish purple or pink­ish white to light lavender.
→ 25
25. Legumes 12–16 mm; banner blade 2 times length of claw; leaflets 12–20.
V. disperma
25. Legumes 15–38 mm; banner blade equal to or less than 2 times longer than claw; leaflets 7–14.
V. ludoviciana
24. Herbs perennial; stipules ligulate; corollas white to cream-white with blue to purple tip.
→ 26
26. Flowers 8–12 mm; e Texas to Atlantic coast and Great Lakes.
V. caroliniana
26. Flowers 4–7 mm; Arizona, New Mexico.
V. pulchella
Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11. Author: Steven L. Broich.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Vicia Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae
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. pulchella, V. sepium, V. tetrasperma, V. villosa
Subordinate taxa
V. sativa var. angustifolia, V. sativa var. sativa
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. pulchella, V. sativa, V. sepium, V. tetrasperma, V. villosa
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 736. (1753) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 734. (1753): Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 327. (1754)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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