We have recently published ‘Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions’: i.e. tropical and sub-tropical regions. We rely on regular donations to keep our free database going and help fund development of this and another book we are planning on food forest plants for Mediterranean climates. Please give what you can to keep PFAF properly funded. More >>>

Follow Us:

 

Vicia sylvatica - Benth.

Common Name Wood vetch
Family Leguminosae
USDA hardiness 3-8
Known Hazards None Known
Habitats Forests, bush woods, among shrubs, hill slopes, grasslands, roadsides; at elevations from 2,300 - 3.600 metres[266].
Range E. Asia - Himalayas of China, Pakistan, Nepal and India
Edibility Rating    (3 of 5)
Other Uses    (2 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (1 of 5)
Care (info)
Fully Hardy Moist Soil Semi-shade Full sun
Vicia sylvatica Wood vetch


Vicia sylvatica Wood vetch
Tigerente wikimedia.org

 

Translate this page:

Summary

Vicia sylvatica Benth. is a synonym of Vicia bakeri Ali


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Vicia sylvatica is a deciduous Perennial Climber growing to 1.5 m (5ft) by 0.3 m (1ft in) at a fast rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4. The flowers are pollinated by Insects.
It can fix Nitrogen.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil. It cannot tolerate atmospheric pollution.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

V. sylvatica Benth. is a synonym of V. bakeri Ali

Plant Habitats

Edible Uses

Seed - cooked[1128]. They are rich in protein and carbohydrates, but are best soaked before use (the soakwater being discarded) in order to get rid of a bitter substance[1128].

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


Paste of leaves applied to treat cuts and wounds (CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants)

References   More on Medicinal Uses

The Bookshop: Edible Plant Books

Our Latest books on Perennial Plants For Food Forests and Permaculture Gardens in paperback or digital formats.

Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
Edible Tropical Plants

Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.

More
Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
Edible Temperate Plants

Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.

More
PFAF have eight books available in paperback and digital media.
More Books

PFAF have eight books available in paperback and digital formats. Browse the shop for more information.

Shop Now

Other Uses

This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[755]. Dynamic accumulator.

Special Uses

Dynamic accumulator

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Species in this genus generally succeed in any well-drained soil in a sunny position if the soil is reliably moist throughout the growing season, otherwise they are best grown in semi-shade[200]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[755]. Can be grown as an annual in colder areas.

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

image

The PFAF Bookshop

Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

Shop Now

Plant Propagation

Seed - sow in situ in spring. An autumn sowing in situ might also succeed. The seed has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up and improve germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Bunkala, Wood Vetch

Native Range

TEMPERATE ASIA: Russian Federation (Altay, Chelyabinsk, Gorno-Altay, Hakasija, Respublika, Hanty-Mansijskij avtonomnyj okrug, Irkutsk, Kemerovskaja oblast, Krasnoyarsk, Kurganskaja oblast, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Sverdlovsk, Tomsk, Tyumen), Kazakhstan EUROPE: Denmark, Finland, United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, Russian Federation (Baškortostan, Respublika, Cuvašskaja Respublika, Karelia, Komi, Marij Èl, Respublika, Mordovija, Respublika, Tatarstan, Udmurtia, Arkhangelsk, Belgorod, Bryansk, Ivanovo, Kaliningrad, Kalužskaja oblast, Kirov, Kostroma, Kursk, Leningradskaja oblast, Lipeckaja oblast, Moscow, Murmansk, Novgorod, Orel, Orenburg, Penza, Perm, Komi-Permyak, Pskovskaja oblast, Rostov, Ryazan, Saratov, Smolensk, Tambov, Tula, Ulyanovsk, Vladimir, Volgogradskaja oblast, Vologda, Voronezh, Yaroslavl), Ukraine, Former Yugoslavia, Albania, Italy (north), Romania, France

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

None Known

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : Not Listed.

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Artemisia ludovicianaWhite Sage, Louisiana Sage, Prairie Sage, Western MugwortPerennial1.0 4-9 MLMSNDM222
Artemisia ludoviciana gnaphalodesWhite SagePerennial1.0 4-8  LMSNDM021
Avena ludovicianaOatsAnnual0.0 -  LMHNDM202
Lactuca ludovicianaWestern Wild Lettuce, Biannual lettuceBiennial1.2 0-0  LMSNM22 
Orobanche ludovicianaBroomrape, Louisiana broomrapePerennial1.5 0-0  LMHFSNM110
Vicia americanaAmerican Vetch, Mat vetchPerennial1.0 4-7  LMHSNM214
Vicia amoena Perennial1.0 -  LMHSNM10 
Vicia amurensis Perennial1.5 -  LMHSNM10 
Vicia articulataOne-Flower VetchAnnual0.6 -  LMHSNM103
Vicia benghalensisPurple VetchAnnual/Perennial0.6 - FLMHSNM003
Vicia carolinianaCarolina vetch, Carolina wood vetchPerennial0.6 3-9 MLMHFSNM024
Vicia craccaTufted Vetch, Bird vetch, Cow vetchPerennial Climber1.8 4-8  LMHSNM113
Vicia erviliaBitter VetchAnnual0.6 -  LMHSNM10 
Vicia faba equinaHorsebeanAnnual1.0 4-8 FLMHSNM303
Vicia faba majorBroad Bean, Fava BeanAnnual1.0 4-10 FLMHSNM413
Vicia faba minutaTick BeanAnnual1.0 4-8 FLMHSNM303
Vicia giganteaGiant VetchPerennial1.0 4-8  LMHSNM213
Vicia grandiflora kitaibelianalarge yellow vetchAnnual0.0 -  LMHSNM20 
Vicia heptajuga Perennial0.0 -  LMHSNM10 
Vicia hirsutaHairy Tare, Tiny vetchAnnual0.5 4-9  LMHSNM203
Vicia hirticalycina Perennial0.0 -  LMHSNM10 
Vicia japonica Perennial1.5 -  LMHSNM10 
Vicia monanthaHard Vetch, Barn vetchAnnual0.0 0-0  LMHSNM203
Vicia narbonensisFrench Vetch, Purple broad vetchAnnual1.0 0-0  LMHSNM20 
Vicia nipponica Perennial0.8 -  LMHSNM10 
Vicia noeana Annual0.6 -  LMHSNM10 
Vicia pisiformisPea Vetch, Pale-flower vetchPerennial1.8 0-0  LMHSNM10 
Vicia pseudo-orobus Perennial1.5 -  LMHSNDM10 
Vicia sativaWinter Tares, Garden vetch, Subterranean vetchAnnual Climber1.2 4-8 FLMHSNM303
Vicia sativa leucospermaWinter TaresAnnual Climber1.2 4-8 FLMHSNM303
12

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

Benth.

Botanical References

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here
A special thanks to Ken Fern for some of the information used on this page.

Readers comment

Add a comment

If you have important information about this plant that may help other users please add a comment or link below. Only comments or links that are felt to be directly relevant to a plant will be included. If you think a comment/link or information contained on this page is inaccurate or misleading we would welcome your feedback at [email protected]. If you have questions about a plant please use the Forum on this website as we do not have the resources to answer questions ourselves.

* Please note: the comments by website users are not necessarily those held by PFAF and may give misleading or inaccurate information.

To leave a comment please Register or login here All comments need to be approved so will not appear immediately.

Subject : Vicia sylvatica  
© 2010, Plants For A Future. Plants For A Future is a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Charity No. 1057719, Company No. 3204567.