Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fabales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (2/10/25):
Vicia sativa var. angustifolia
FAMILY
Fabaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Learn more about Vetch from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Vicia sativa ssp. nigra
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 11 (2023)
Vicia sativa var. angustifolia
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Vicia sativa ssp. nigra
SYNONYMOUS WITH Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Vicia sativa ssp. nigra
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-36-004:
Vicia angustifolia FAMILY Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Vicia angustifolia
COMMON NAME:
Narrowleaf Vetch, Garden Vetch
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_vian_001_lvd
)
USDA / Selected Weeds of the US. 1970 swus_page_239
)
Keith Bradley kab_v_sativa_nigra_0285
January Lexington County SC
)
Keith Bradley kab_v_sativa_nigra_0320
January Lexington County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm120310_183
March Spartanburg County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm120328_130
March Pickens County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm120328_135
March Pickens County SC
Leaflets 4-10x as long as wide, per Weakley's Flora (2012).
COMPARE
pinnately compound leaves of forbs
)
Roxanna Martin rlm32411_61
March Spartanburg County SC
Corolla 10-18mm long, pink-purple to whitish; calyx 7-11(-12)mm long, per Weakley's Flora.
)
Roxanna Martin rlm32910_109
March Spartanburg County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm160412_004
April Greenville County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm160412_006
April Greenville County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm210413_9459
April Greenville County SC
Blackwell Heritage Preserve
Leaves (except for the lowermost) usually with branched tendrils, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm250424_0011
April Greenville County SC
Poinsett Bridge Heritage Preserve
Stipules with a dark (purple or blackish) nectariferous patch on the lower surface, per Weakley's Flora (2025).
)
JK Marlow jkm250424_2789
April Greenville County SC
Poinsett Bridge Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm250424_2792
April Greenville County SC
Poinsett Bridge Heritage Preserve
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmvangustifolia_home1
April Anderson County SC
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmvangustifolia_home100b
April Anderson County SC
)
Roxanna Martin rlm41911_85
April Spartanburg County SC
)
Roxanna Martin rlm41911_92
April Spartanburg County SC
Calyx glabrous to sparsely short-pubescent, calyx lobes linear-lanceolate, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_v_sativa_nigra_narolf
May
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (2/10/25):
Vicia sativa var. angustifolia
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Vicia sativa ssp. nigra
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 11
Vicia sativa var. angustifolia
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Vicia sativa ssp. nigra
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Vicia sativa ssp. nigra
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-36-004:
Vicia angustifolia
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Vicia angustifolia
1631
Forb
Annual
Habitat: Disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Mediterranean Europe
Common
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Even-pinnately compound: 6-12 leaflets
Mostly alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer/Fall
Pinkish/ Purplish
Bilaterally symmetrical
5-parted papilionaceous corolla
10 stamens, diadelphous, 9 and 1
Superior ovary
Flowers (1-)2(-4) in upper leaf axils
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer/Fall
Black (dark brown)
Legume
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006) p055
- Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005) p196
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p373
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p530
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p114
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p037
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p210
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p144
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p181
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p076
- Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses (Murphy et al., 1992) p150
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