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Vicia cracca
Also called Blue vetch, Boreal vetch, Cow vetch, Tufted vetch, Canada Pea, Turfed Vetch, Bramble Vetch
Bird vetch (Vicia cracca) is a scrambling perennial legume from Europe and Asia that climbs by tendrils and bears purple-violet pea-like flowers. Grown as a forage and cover crop, it is invasive in parts of North America, so check local rules before planting.
Vicia cracca (tufted vetch, cow vetch, bird vetch, blue vetch, boreal vetch), is a species of flowering plant in the pea and bean family Fabaceae. It is native to Europe and Asia. It occurs on other continents as an introduced species, including North America, where it is a common weed. It often occurs in disturbed habitats, including old fields and roadside ditches.
Cow vetch is widely used as a forage crop for cattle, and is beneficial to other plants because, like other leguminous plants, it enriches the soil in which it grows by its nitrogen-fixing properties. Cow vetch is also much appreciated by bees and butterflies as a source of nectar. The plant may also be used to curb erosion.
Owners of pet birds such as budgerigars often use cow vetch as a nutritious food; the birds are especially fond of the seeds but may also eat the foliage.
Vicia cracca is native to Europe and Asia, and has been introduced to large areas of North America.
Lentil · American vetch · Vicia anatolica · Reddish tufted vetch · Blister vetch · Broad Bean · Grass Like Vetch · Tiny vetch · Dwarf Lentil · Purple broad vetch · Eastern Wild Lentil · Hungarian vetch
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Vicia cracca by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
