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vicia villosa - Roth.

Common Name Large Russian Vetch, Winter vetch
Family Fabaceae or Leguminosae
USDA hardiness Coming soon
Known Hazards There is some evidence that the seed may be toxic but this has only been shown under laboratory conditions, there are no recorded cases of poisoning by this plant in Britain[76].
Habitats Cultivated land and waste places, avoiding acid soils and shady positions[17].
Range C. and S. Europe. W. Asia and N. Africa. Naturalized in Britain[17].
Edibility Rating    (1 of 5)
Other Uses    (2 of 5)
Weed Potential Yes
Medicinal Rating    (0 of 5)
Care (info)
Moist Soil Semi-shade Full sun
vicia villosa Large Russian Vetch, Winter vetch


flickr.com/people/51035743246@N01
vicia villosa Large Russian Vetch, Winter vetch

 

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Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
vicia villosa is a PERENNIAL CLIMBER growing to 1.8 m (6ft). It is in flower from June to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees. 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

 Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves  Seed
Edible Uses:

Seed[2]. No more details are given. Used as a vegetable[177]. No more details are given.

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.


None known

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

Green manure

Used as a spring or autumn sown green manure. The seed can be sown in September to overwinter, or as late as October for a greenhouse green manure[87].

Special Uses

Nitrogen Fixer

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]. Cultivated for its edible seed in N. and C. Europe[2]. This species is not very deep rooting[87]. 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].

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

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

Fahrenheit:

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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).

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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: Afghanistan, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russian Federation (Checheno-Ingushetia, Dagestan, Krasnodar, Stavropol), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan EUROPE: Czechoslovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, Russian Federation (Cuvašskaja Respublika, Kalmykija, Respublika, Mordovija, Respublika, Tatarstan, Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaliningrad, Kursk, Lipeckaja oblast, Orel, Rostov, Saratov, Smolensk, Tambov, Tula, Ulyanovsk, Volgogradskaja oblast, Voronezh, Yaroslavl), Ukraine (incl. Krym), Former Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece (incl. Crete), Italy (incl. Sardinia, Sicily), Romania, Spain (incl. Baleares), France (incl. Corsica), Portugal AFRICA: Spain (Canarias), Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia

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 :

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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

Roth.

Botanical References

50

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here

Readers comment

Dirk Enneking   Sun Jun 21 2009

Toxicity of Vicia species and their utilisation as grain legumes The seeds contain the toxic amino acid canavanine which increases in the herbage with the onset of flowering

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