Vicia tenuifolia

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Vicia tenuifolia
Vicia tenuifolia 2.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Vicia
Species:
V. tenuifolia
Binomial name
Vicia tenuifolia
Roth, 1788 [2]
Synonyms [2]
List
    • Cracca tenuifolia(Roth) Gren. & Godr.
    • Cracca tenuifolia(Roth) Opiz
    • Ervum tenuifolium(Roth) Trautv.
    • Vicia boissieriFreyn
    • Vicia cracca subsp. tenuifolia(Roth) Bonnier & Layens
    • Vicia cracca subsp. tenuifolia(Roth) Gaudin
    • Vicia cracca var. tenuifolia(Roth) G.Gaertn., B.Mey. & Scherb., 1801
    • Vicia tenuifolia subsp. boissieri(Freyn) Radhzi
    • Vicia tenuifolia subsp. boissieriDinsm., 1932
    • Vicia variabilisFreyn & Sint.

Vicia tenuifolia, the fine-leaved vetch,cow vetch, [3] fodder vetch [4] or bramble vetch, [1] is a herbaceous perennial plant species in the family Fabaceae. [5] This species is widespread in Europe and some parts of both Asia and Africa. In some other areas it occurs as an introduced species. [1] In a few countries this edible vetch is used as food for both humans and farm animals. [5]

Contents

Taxonomy

Vicia tenuifolia was described by German botanist Albrecht Wilhelm Roth in his work Tentamen florae germanicae in 1788. [2] Some taxonomists treat this species as a subspecies of Vicia cracca , while most recognize it as its own species. [2] [6]

There are a few recognized subspecies: [2]

Description

This herbaceous and perennial legume can reach from 30 to 150 centimetres of height. It is usually an upright-growing and spread out vetch with rough stem that is either hairless either hirsute. [5] As with many other pea family species, Vicia tenuifolia is a nitrogen-fixing plant. [3]

Its alternately arranged leaves are pinnately compound and most of the times consist of 10–18 pairs of narrowly linear to oblong leaflets. [5] [7] Pinna can be both hirsute or hairless and usually measure from 2 to 6 millimetres. Vicia tenuifolia has so called paripinnate leaves, that end with a split tendril. Stipules are present; they are narrowly linear, with entire leaf margin and end with a sharpened point. [5]

The species is an entomophilous plant [3] and flowers between June and August. [8] Vicia tenuifolia has typical bilaterally symmetrical papilionaceous flowers, that consists of a banner, keel and wing, with the flower's petals being red, pink or blueish purple. The biggest petal – the so-called banner – is brighter than other petals, with its limb being as long as its claw. [5] From 15 to 30 small flowers are arranged into an raceme inflorescence, [7] that has long leafstalk (the latter is usually twice as long as the inflorescence). The flower's sepals are fused together into a few millimetres long calyx tube that ends with 5 short calyx tooth. Each flower has 10 anthers; the latter are fused together till the last third of anther's length. [5]

This species' dried fruit is a brownish and hairless legume that can measure from 3 to 5 centimetres. [5]

Vicia grandiflora can be confused with the similar vetch species Vicia dalmatica , Vicia cracca , Vicia incana and Vicia villosa . [5]

Distribution and conservation

This vetch species is widely distributed across Europe (especially the Euro-Mediterranean region, [9] south and central Europe [10] ) and occurs also in some parts of Asia (usually those that are either temperate either tropical, [1] mostly southwestern and central Asia [10] ), as well as in northern Africa. [1] In north-western Europe it is not a native species. [6] Vicia tenuifolia was once introduced to Hawaii. [1] In some areas it is treated as an invasive species. [11]

Vicia tenuifolia usually grows in a variety of habitats, which can include both natural and urban areas. [5] This vetch is mostly an inhabitant of lowlands, [6] where it can be found in dry meadows and forest edges, as well as on grassy banks, verges or waste ground, especially near railways, [6] where it is a ruderal species. [5] V. tenuifolia rarely occurs in uplands, with its maximum elevation being around 2,900 metres. [1]

This species is listed as least concern (LC) species on the IUCN Red list, with its population being rated as stable. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Vicia sativa</i> Species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae

Vicia sativa, known as the common vetch, garden vetch, tare or simply vetch, is a nitrogen-fixing leguminous plant in the family Fabaceae. It is now naturalised throughout throughout the world occurring on every continent, except antarctica and the arctic. The centre of diversity is thought to be the Fertile Crescent, although gold standard molecular confirmation is currently not available.

<i>Vicia cracca</i> Species of legume

Vicia cracca, 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.

<i>Vicia</i> Genus of flowering plants in the bean family Fabaceae

Vicia is a genus of over 240 species of flowering plants that are part of the legume family (Fabaceae), and which are commonly known as vetches. Member species are native to Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Africa. Some other genera of their subfamily Faboideae also have names containing "vetch", for example the vetchlings (Lathyrus) or the milk-vetches (Astragalus). The lentils are included in genus Vicia, and were formerly classified in genus Lens. The broad bean is sometimes separated in a monotypic genus Faba; although not often used today, it is of historical importance in plant taxonomy as the namesake of the order Fabales, the Fabaceae and the Faboideae. The tribe Vicieae in which the vetches are placed is named after the genus' current name. The true peas (Pisum) are among the closest living relatives of vetches.

<i>Vicia villosa</i> Species of legume

Vicia villosa, known as the hairy vetch, fodder vetch or winter vetch, is a plant native to some of Europe and western Asia. It is a legume, grown as a forage crop, fodder crop, cover crop, and green manure. Although non-native, it occurs in all US states and is considered invasive by some states, such as Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington state — as well as in Japan and some parts of Europe where it is not native. It is also found in most Canadian provinces.

<i>Vicia hirsuta</i> Species of legume

Vicia hirsuta is a species of flowering plant in the pea and bean family Fabaceae.

<i>Viola reichenbachiana</i> Species of plant

Viola reichenbachiana, also known as the early dog-violet, pale wood violet, slender wood violet, hedge violet, or wood dog violet, is a species of flowering plant in the Viola genus. This species hybridises with Viola riviniana, the common dog-violet, to produce Viola × bavarica. The plant is named after the 19th century botanist Ludwig Reichenbach. It is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial that is widely known for its purple petals, and it typically resides along road banks or among other rich vegetation, as other wild pansies do. The name dog violet refers to its lack of scent, making it supposedly only fit for dogs.

<i>Paeonia daurica</i> Species of flowering plant

Paeonia daurica is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the peony family. It has slender carrot-shaped roots, leaves mostly consisting of nine leaflets, with one flower per stem. The flower is subtended by none to two leafy bracts, and has two or three sepals, five to eight petals, and many stamens. The subspecies vary in the colour of the petals, the size and shape of the leaflets, and the hairiness of the leaflets and the carpels. Paeonia daurica can be found from the Balkans to Iran, and the Crimea to Lebanon, with the centre of its distribution in the Caucasus. It is also cultivated as an ornamental.

<i>Lathyrus linifolius</i> Species of plant

Lathyrus linifolius is a species of pea, commonly called bitter vetch or heath pea. The name bitter vetch is also sometimes used for Vicia ervilia and also for Vicia orobus. The tubers of Lathyrus linifolius were formerly used as an appetite suppressant in medieval Scotland, and this use has brought the plant to recent medical attention. Attempts are being made to cultivate the plant on a commercial scale.

<i>Vicia nigricans</i> Species of legume

Vicia nigricans is a species of vetch known by the common name black vetch. It has a disjunct distribution, its two subspecies divided by thousands of miles in range. The northern subspecies, ssp. gigantea, is native to western North America from Alaska to northern California, where it occurs in coastal and moist inland habitat and disturbed areas. The southern subspecies, ssp. nigricans, occurs in southern South America, in Argentina and Chile.

<i>Fuchsia microphylla</i> Species of plant

Fuchsia microphylla, also known as small leaf fuchsia and small-leaved fuchsia, is a flowering shrub in the family Onagraceae. The specific epithet (microphylla) was named for the plant's small (micro) leaves (phylla).

<i>Gentiana froelichii</i> Species of plant

Gentiana froelichii, commonly known as the Karawanken gentian, is an endemic hemicryptophyte and perennial plant species in the family Gentianaceae, which occurs in southeastern Alps. It can be found in Austria and Slovenia, with a few reported occurrences happening in Italy.

<i>Vicia grandiflora</i> Species of plant

Vicia grandiflora, commonly known as large yellow vetch and bigflower vetch, as well as large-flowered vetch, is a common herbaceous plant species in the family Fabaceae, which occurs as a native plant species in Europe and Asia, as well as an introduced vetch species in North America.

<i>Ranunculus lanuginosus</i> Species of plant

Ranunculus lanuginosus, commonly known as the wooly buttercup and downy buttercup, is a herbaceous perennial plant species in the family Ranunculaceae, that grows in some parts of Europe.

<i>Knautia drymeia</i> Species of plant

Knautia drymeia, commonly known as the Hungarian widow flower, is a herbaceous perennial plant species in the family Caprifoliaceae, that grows in Central and Southeastern Europe.

<i>Leucanthemum ircutianum</i> Species of plant

Leucanthemum ircutianum is a herbaceous perennial plant species in the family Asteraceae, that can be found growing in Eurasian countries and North America. Just like the similar L. vulgare, it is commonly known as the oxeye daisy.

<i>Galeopsis pubescens</i> Species of plant

Galeopsis pubescens, also known as the hairy and downy hempnettle, is a herbaceous annual plant species in the family Lamiaceae, that can be found growing in various European countries.

<i>Rhinanthus glacialis</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae

Rhinanthus glacialis, commonly known as the aristate yellow rattle or glacier rattle, is a herbaceous plant species in the family Orobanchaceae, formerly classified as a member of the family Scrophulariaceae. This European species is primarily inhabiting the Central Europe.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lopez Poveda, Lucia (2010-08-03). "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Vicia tenuifolia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Vicia tenuifolia Roth". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
  3. 1 2 3 "Vicia tenuifolia Fine-Leaved Vetch, Cow vetch PFAF Plant Database". pfaf.org. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
  4. "Vicia tenuifolia". PlantsBank. 2019-07-21. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Drobnolistna grašica – Urbanatura". www.urbanatura.si (in Slovenian). Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Vicia tenuifolia | Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora". www.brc.ac.uk. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
  7. 1 2 "Fine-leaved vetch (Vicia tenuifolia) – Plants | Candide Gardening". Candide. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
  8. "Vicia cracca subsp. tenuifolia". www.infoflora.ch. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
  9. "Vicia tenuifolia (VICTF)[Overview]| EPPO Global Database". gd.eppo.int. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
  10. 1 2 "Vicia tenuifolia Roth". pgrportal.nl. 2017-10-17. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
  11. "Vicia tenuifolia". www.cabi.org. Retrieved 2021-08-27.