Fabaceae
Vicia villosa subsp. varia
Vicia villosa subsp. varia
Also known as Vicia villosa var. leiosolen, Cracca villosa subsp. varia, Ervum varium, Vicia pseudovillosa
Flowering Plants · Native Plants · Vetch · Legume · Cover Crop · Nitrogen Fixing · Wildflower · Climbing Vine · Pollinator Plant · Meadow · Fast Growing · Green Manure
Smooth winter vetch is a fast-growing, scrambling legume well suited to meadow plantings, roadsides, and as a cover crop or green manure. It tolerates a range of soils and fixes atmospheric nitrogen through root nodules, improving soil fertility. Provide a trellis or neighboring plants for it to climb, and water regularly during dry spells.
Growing conditions
The details behind the basics
- Daily light
- 4 hours
- Watering
- Water moderately, keeping soil consistently moist but not waterlogged · Every 10-14 days
- Maintenance
- Low
- Soil
- loam
- Soil pH
- 6–7.5
- Temperature
- -40°F to 85°F
- Cycle
- Perennial
Hardiness
USDA 3a-9b
Form & growth
Mature size and habit
- Mature height
- 2 ft – 5 ft
- Spread
- 12 in
- Spacing
- 12 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Root depth
- Medium
- Flowers
- Yes
- Foliage
- Fine
Ecology & origin
Where it belongs and what it brings
- Native to
- Alabama, Albania, Algeria, Arkansas, Austria, Baleares, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, California, Canary Is., China North-Central, China Southeast, Corse, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East Aegean Is., East European Russia, Egypt
- Attracts
- Bees, Butterflies
Sources: trefle, usda
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