Practical
Plants

Vicia villosa

Large Russian Vetch

a perennial woody member of the Vicia genus in the family Leguminosae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Vicia
Life cycle
perennial
Woodiness
woody
Height
1.8 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Bees
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

There is some evidence that the seed may be toxic but this has only been shown under laboratory conditions, there are no recorded cases of poisoning by this plant in Britain[6].

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed[3]. No more details are given. Used as a vegetable[2]. No more details are given.

Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Seed

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Used as a spring or autumn sown green manure. The seed can be sown in September to overwinter, or as late as October for a greenhouse green manure[7].

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Climber

Environment

Range
C. and S. Europe. W. Asia and N. Africa. Naturalized in Britain[1].
Habitat
Cultivated land and waste places, avoiding acid soils and shady positions[1].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Pre-soak the seed for 24 hours in warm water and then sow in situ in spring or autumn.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Succeeds in any well-drained soil in a sunny position if the soil is reliably moist throughout the growing season, otherwise it is best grown in semi-shade[4]. Cultivated for its edible seed in N. and C. Europe[3]. This species is not very deep rooting[7]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[4].

References

  1. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  3. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩1↩2

  4. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

  5. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

  6. Cooper. M. and Johnson. A. Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. HMSO 1984-00-00 ISBN 0112425291

    ↩

  7. Woodward. L. Burge. P. Green Manures. Elm Farm Research Centre. 1982-00-00

    ↩1↩2

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