| TREATMENT FROM THE JEPSON MANUAL (1993) |
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©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California
For up-to-date information about California vascular plants, visit the Jepson eFlora. |
AND IS MAINTAINED FOR ARCHIVAL PURPOSES ONLY |
Annual to tree
Leaves generally compound, alternate, stipuled; leaflets generally entire
Inflorescence: generally raceme, spike, umbel or head; flowers sometime 1–2 in axils
Flowers generally bisexual, generally bilateral; hypanthium generally flat or cup-like; sepals generally 5, fused; petals generally 5, free, or the 2 lower ± fused; stamens 1–many, often 10 with 9 filaments at least partly fused, 1 (uppermost) free; pistil 1, ovary superior, generally 1-chambered, ovules 1–many, style, stigma 1
Fruit: legume, sometimes including a stalk-like base above receptacle, dehiscent, or indehiscent and breaking into 1-seeded segments, or indehiscent, 1-seeded, and achene-like
Seeds 1–several, often ± reniform, generally hard, smooth
Genera in family: ± 650 genera, 18,000 species: worldwide; with grasses, requisite in agriculture and most natural ecosystems. Many cultivated, most importantly Arachis , peanut; Glycine , soybean; Phaseolus , beans; Medicago ; Trifolium ; and many orns
Reference: [Polhill & Raven (eds) 1981 Advances in legume systematics; Allen & Allen 1981 Leguminosae]
Family description and key to genera by Duane Isely.
Annual or perennial herb, unarmed
Stem generally sprawling or climbing, ridged or angled
Leaves even-1-pinnate; stipules with an upper (often toothed or lobed) and smaller lower segment; leaflets 4–many, alternate to opposite (often on 1 plant), linear to ovate; main leaf axis generally ending as a tendril
Inflorescence: raceme or cluster, axillary; peduncle or pedicels present; bracts small or 0
Flower: corolla generally lavender to purple, sometimes white or yellow; 9 filaments fused, 1 free; style generally round in X -section, hairs tufted at tip
Fruit dehiscent, generally ± oblong, generally flat; base stalk-like or not
Seeds 2 or more
Species in genus: ± 130 species: North America, Eurasia
Etymology: (Latin: vetch)
Reference: [Herman 1960 USDA Handb 168]
Best separated from Lathyrus by style characters.
| Native |
Annual, glabrous or hairy
Stem sprawling or low-climbing
Leaf: stipules small; leaflets 4–10, 1–2.5 cm, narrowly oblong to elliptic, tip acute, 1-toothed, or sometimes truncate
Inflorescence < subtending leaf; flowers 1–3, near tip, generally crowded
Flower: corolla 4.5–7 mm, pale blue; style hairs at tip and below on all sides
Fruit 1.5–2.5 cm, 4–7 mm wide, oblong or saber-shaped, glabrous; stalk-like base ± 1–1.5 mm
Chromosomes: 2n=14
Ecology: Woodland margins, open or shrubby areas, disturbed sites
Elevation: < 1000 m.
Bioregional distribution: San Francisco Bay Area, South Coast, Channel Islands, Peninsular Ranges
Distribution outside California: to se US, Mexico
Synonyms: V. exigua Nutt. var. e
Reference: [Lassetter 1984 Rhodora 86:475–505]
CA plants of this variable sp. ± identical to a race in s TX and closely related to V. hassei.