Herbs annual. Stems sprawling or climbing, somewhat robust, to 10 dm. Leaves 2–4 cm; ten­drils simple or branched; stip­ules much smaller than leaflets, semisagittate, without nectarif­erous patch; leaflets 4–8, blades elliptic to lanceolate-linear, 8–40 × 1–9 mm, apex acute to truncate, surfaces glabrous or sparsely pubescent. Inflorescences 1- or 2-flowered, 1–3 cm, ± shorter than subtending leaf rachis. Flowers 6–9 mm; calyx base symmetric, lobes subequal, 1/2 length of tube; corolla white to faint bluish or lavender, banner pandurate, blade equal to claw, glabrous; style compressed adaxially, pubescent along style. Legumes tawny, oblong, 22–38 × 5–7 mm, oblique-tipped, strongly reticulate-veined, glabrous or finely pubescent; stipe to 2–3 mm. Seeds 4–7, purplish black, compressed-subglobose, 2.5–3 mm diam.; hilum encircling 1/5 circum­ference of seed. 2n = 14.

Phenology: Flowering Mar–Apr.
Habitat: Sandy or rocky soils, understory of grass- or brush-covered slopes, streamsides, flood­plains, forest margins.
Elevation: 0–1200 m.

Distribution

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Calif., Oreg., Mexico (Baja California).

Discussion

Vicia hassei was reduced to a variety of V. exigua (= V. ludoviciana var. ludoviciana) by Jepson in 1901. J. S. Lassetter (1975) made a case for retaining V. hassei as a separate species. Chromosomes of V. hassei are much larger than those of V. ludoviciana. Ovaries of V. hassei are pubescent; those of V. ludoviciana are glabrous. Arrangement of hairs on the stylar apices differs, with V. hassei having a pronounced inequilateral stylar brush, and V. ludoviciana having hairs distributed evenly around the tip of the style.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.