Fabaceae
Vicia

Vicia benghalensis L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 736 (1753)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Madeira, S. Europe, NW. Africa. It is a climbing annual or perennial and grows primarily in the temperate biome. It is has environmental uses and as animal food, a poison and invertebrate food.

Descriptions

Leguminosae, J. B. Gillett, R. M. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971

Morphology General Habit
Straggling, climbing or trailing annual or short-lived perennial 20–80 cm. tall.
Morphology Stem
Stems densely pubescent or pilose when young, often becoming glabrescent.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 10–17-foliolate; leaflets linear, oblong or elliptic, 1–2·5 cm. long, 1·5–6 mm. wide, pilose; rhachis terminated by a tendril; stipules semisagittate, entire or denticulate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence 2–20-flowered.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx-tube gibbous at the base, the teeth unequal, the lower ones exceeding the tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla 1–1·8 cm. long, reddish-purple, with tip very dark.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods narrowly oblong, 2·5–4 cm. long, 0·8–1·1 cm. wide, usually densely adpressed pubescent or villous, but sometimes only on the suture.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 3–5.
Habitat
Weed in cultivated ground and disturbed areas; 2400–2800 m.
Distribution
K3 native of Mediterranean region, Portugal and Azores, now widely cultivated (winter or hairy vetch) and also appearing as a weed in other cropsit has been found as an escape several times in Kenya
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Mediterranean grasslands., Mediterranean anthropic landscapes., Afromontane (upland) anthropic landscapes, Cultivated
Morphology General Habit
Annual, Climbing, Herb
Vernacular
Hairy Vetch, Purple Vetch, Winter Vetch
[ILDIS]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean. Elevation range: 2550–2700 m a.s.l. Cultivated in Colombia. Colombian departments: Bogotá DC, Cundinamarca, Nariño.
Habit
Herb, Climbing.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: native grassland, artificial - terrestrial.
[UPFC]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds Protein Content

26.70% Entire seed/nut. Moisture content not stated (Earle & Jones, 1962)

[SID]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Cultivada en Colombia; Alt. 2550 - 2700 m.; Andes.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba, trepadora
[CPLC]

Uses

Use
Environmental, Forage
[ILDIS]

Use Animal Food
Used as animal food.
Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
Use Invertebrate Food
Used as invertebrate food.
Use Poisons
Poisons.
[UPFC]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • International Legume Database and Information Service

    • International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS) V10.39 Nov 2011
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Seed Information Database

    • Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. (2019) Seed Information Database (SID). Version 7.1. Available from: http://data.kew.org/sid/ (September 2019)
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0