Species

Vicia sativa

Common Name(s)

vetch

Family

Fabaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

NVS Species Code

VICSAT

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Features

Slender to stout scrambling or tufted annual; leaflets in 4-8 pairs often alternate; flowers purple, sometimes white or pink; blackish or brownish/black pod 30-60mm long with 5-12 seeds.

Flower Colours

Red / Pink,Violet / Purple

Year Naturalised

1867

Origin

W. and S. Europe to W. Asia, N. Africa

Life Cycle Comments
Long-lived seed bank.

Dispersal
Seeds are dispersed by explosion of the seed pod.

This page last updated on 31 Jul 2014