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Summary
Physical Characteristics
Vicia_cracca is a PERENNIAL CLIMBER growing to 1.8 m (6ft).
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5. It is in flower from May to August, and the seeds ripen from July to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, flies. The plant is self-fertile.
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.
UK Hardiness Map
US Hardiness Map
Synonyms
Plant Habitats
Edible Uses
Seed - cooked[2, 22, 105]. They are boiled or roasted[183]. Leaves and young stems - cooked[105]. Used as a potherb[183]. The leaves are a tea substitute[183].
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.
The cooked plant is used as a galactogogue[218].
References More on Medicinal Uses
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Other Uses
Can be used as a green manure[46]. A dynamic accumulator gathering minerals or nutrients from the soil and storing them in a more bioavailable form - used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.
Special Uses
References More on Other Uses
Cultivation details
Succeeds in any well-drained soil in a sunny position if the soil is reliably moist throughout the growing season, otherwise it is best grown in semi-shade[200]. This species has occasionally been cultivated as a food plant, but yields are too low to make it very worthwhile[2]. 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[200]. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. Growth habit is a single or multiple shooting vine from a crown [1-2]. Herbaceous. The root pattern is rhizomatous with underground stems sending roots and shoots along their length [1-2].
References Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information
Temperature Converter
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Plant Propagation
Pre-soak the seed for 24 hours in warm water and then sow in situ in spring or autumn.
Other Names
If available other names are mentioned here
Native Range
TEMPERATE ASIA: Aga Buryat, Altay, Buryatia, Checheno-Ingushetia, Chelyabinsk, China (north), Chita, Dagestan, Evenk, Gorno-Altay, Hakasija, Hanty-Mansijskij avtonomnyj okrug, Hokkaidô, Honshu, Irkutsk, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Karacaevo-Cerkesskaja Respublika,
Kazakhstan, Kemerovskaja oblast, Korea, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Kurganskaja oblast, Kyrgyzstan, Kyushu, Lebanon, Mongolia, North Ossetia, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Respublika, Respublika, Russian Federation, Russian Federation, Shikoku, Stavropol, Sverdlovsk, Syria, Taiwan (natzd.?), Taymyr, Tomsk, Turkey,
Tyumen, Tyva, Ust Orda Buryat, Yakutia-Sakha,Cyprus. TROPICAL ASIA: Vietnam (north), EUROPE: Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Czechoslovakia (Czech Republic and Slovakia), Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova,
Russian Federation, Baškortostan, Respublika, Cuvašskaja Respublika, Kalmykija, Respublika, Karelia, Komi, Marij Èl, Respublika, Mordovija, Respublika, Tatarstan, Udmurtia, Arkhangelsk, Neneckij avtonomnyj okrug, Astrakhan, 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 (incl. Krym), Former Yugoslavia, Albania,
Bulgaria, Greece, Italy (incl. Sardinia, Sicily), Romania, Spain, France (incl. Corsica), Portugal,
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.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :
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.
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Botanical References
17200
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