Herbs annual. Stems erect-ascending or climbing, slender to robust, 3–10 dm. Leaves 3–8 cm; tendrils simple or branched; stipules foliose, approaching leaflets in size, semisagittate, with nectariferous patch abax­ially; leaflets 8–14, blades ovate-oblong, narrowly elliptic, or linear [obovate], 15–30 × 5–15 mm, apex obtuse to truncate-emarginate, distinctly apiculate, surfaces hir­sute. Inflorescences usually (1 or)2(–4)-flowered, 0–1 cm. Flowers 10–30 mm; calyx base symmetric, lobes sub­equal, ± equal to tube; corolla violet-purple, lavender, or whitish, banner stenonychioid, blade shorter than or equal to claw, glabrous; style compressed abaxially, pubescent apically, tufted abax­ially. Legumes yellow to brown, or reddish brown to black, linear, 25–60 × 3–11 mm, oblique-tipped, gla­brous or pubescent; stipe absent. Seeds 4–12, usually greenish gray to maroon or black, rarely yellowish white, globose or ± com­pressed, 3–5 mm diam.; hilum encircling 1/6–1/5 circum­ference of seed.

Distribution

Introduced; Europe, w Asia, introduced also in Mexico, South America, elsewhere in Asia, Africa, Australia.

Discussion

Varieties 7 (2 in the flora).

D. Zohary and U. Plitmann (1979) provided a detailed description of the morphological and genetic variation found within the Vicia sativa complex. Of the seven infraspecific taxa they described, two (vars. angustifolia and sativa) are cultivated as forage crops and widely introduced in the flora area. Variety angustifolia is an aggressive colonizer of cultivated and disturbed habitats.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Vicia sativa var. angustifolia, Vicia sativa var. sativa

Key

1	Flowers 18–30 mm; calyx lobes usually equal to tube; legumes yellow to brown, pubescent.	Vicia sativa var. sativa
1	Flowers 10–18(–20) mm; calyx lobes usually slightly shorter than tube; legumes reddish brown to black, glabrous.	Vicia sativa var. angustifolia