Key to Vicia

View taxon page for Vicia

(For a list of species in Vicia, use the above link.)

Jepson Manual glossary definitions can be seen by moving your cursor over words underlined with dots.

1. Leaflet 5–12 cm; plant 

erect 

Upright; vertically oriented.

; tendrils 0 ..... [V. faba]

1' Leaflet generally 1–4 cm; plant sprawling or climbing; tendrils generally present

2. Inflorescence a cluster of 1–4 flowers, 

peduncle 

Stalk of an individual flower borne singly, not in an inflorescence, or of an entire inflorescence, or the corresponding structure in fruit; the stalk subtending an involucre (e.g., in Asteraceae, Polygonaceae).

± 0, < 

pedicels 

Stalk of an individual flower in an inflorescence, or the corresponding structure in fruit.

3. Corolla 5–6 mm ..... [V. lathyroides]

3' Corolla 10–30 mm

4. Corolla pink-purple to ± white; banner glabrous; fruit hairy initially, glabrous at maturity ..... V. sativa

5. Calyx tube 4.5–5.5 mm, 

lobes 

1. A major expansion or bulge, such as on the margin of a leaf, sepal, or petal, or on the surface of an ovary. 2. The free tips of otherwise fused structures, such as sepals or petals; larger than teeth.

3–4.5 mm; corolla 10–18 mm, pink-purple to ± white ..... subsp. nigra

5' Calyx tube 6–7 mm, lobes 5–11 mm; corolla 18–30 mm, generally pink-purple ..... subsp. sativa

4' Corolla yellow or yellow-white, often purple-blotched or -tinged; banner 

puberulent 

Minutely hairy.

abaxially or glabrous; fruit hairy

6. Banner glabrous; fruit hairs from conspicuous tubercles ..... V. lutea

6' Banner puberulent abaxially; fruit hairs not from conspicuous tubercles ..... [V. pannonica]

2' Inflorescence a 

raceme 

In flowering plants excluding Asteraceae, Cyperaceae, Poaceae, and some other groups, an unbranched inflorescence in which the flowers are borne on pedicels and nearly always open from the bottom to the top of the inflorescence. 2. In Asteraceae, Cyperaceae, Poaceae, and some other groups, a raceme-like inflorescence is one in which the inflorescence units (e.g., heads in Asteraceae; spikelets in Cyperaceae and Poaceae), instead of individual flowers, are stalked and attached directly to the main axis of the inflorescence, not to branches, and in which floral development may or may not proceed as in 1.

, peduncled

7. Corolla 3–9 mm

8. Fruit 6–10 mm, with 

spreading 

Oriented more or less perpendicularly to the axis of attachment; often, more or less horizontal.

hairs, stalk-like base 0; leaflets 10–16, flowers generally 2–8 ..... V. hirsuta

8' Fruit 10–30 mm, glabrous or ± 

strigose 

With stiff, straight, sharp, appressed hairs.

, stalk-like base ± 1–2 mm; leaflets, flowers various, 

included 

Not protruding out of surrounding structure(s) (e.g., stamens included in corolla).

as at 8.

9. Fruit 10–13 mm, tip rounded, style 

reflexed 

Abruptly bent or curved downward or backward.

; leaflets 4–10, 

linear 

Elongate, with nearly parallel sides; narrower than elliptic or oblong.

to 

elliptic 

In the shape of a flattened circle or ellipse; wider than linear

, peduncle thread-like, 1–3 cm, often curved, 1–3-flowered ..... V. tetrasperma

9' Fruit 10–30 mm, tip 

tapered 

Gradually (not abruptly) narrower or smaller at base or tip.

to style, straight to curved; leaflets or peduncle not as at 9.

10. Leaflets ± 12–20; flowers 2–6; seeds 2 ..... [V. disperma]

10' Leaflets 4–10; flowers 1–3; seeds generally > 2

11. Style hairs at tip, generally abaxial; 

leaflet 

A leaf-like unit of a compound leaf; distinguished from a leaf by the absence in its axil of a bud, branch, thorn, or flower; lacking lateral, basal appendages (stipules); either simple (leaf 1-compound, with primary leaflets) or compound (leaf 2-compound, with primary and secondary leaflets; 3-compound, with primary, secondary, and tertiary leaflets, etc).

tip generally 

truncate 

Abruptly (not gradually) narrower or smaller at base or tip, as if cut straight across or nearly so.

, notched, or 1–5-toothed; flowers separated or 1 ..... V. hassei

11' Style hairs at tip, below, all around; leaflet tip 

acute 

Having a short-tapered, sharp tip, the sides convex or straight and converging at less than a right angle.

, 1-toothed, or occasionally truncate; flowers generally crowded or 1 ..... V. ludoviciana subsp. ludoviciana

7' Corolla > 9 mm

12. Leaf generally 1–1.5 dm; leaflets 16–24, larger 2.5–4 cm – fruit often upcurved, ± 12–13 mm wide ..... V. gigantea

12' Leaf rarely > 1 dm; leaflets either fewer or smaller than at 12.

13. Flowers 1–3, crowded at tip of inflorescence axis; fruit hairy, margins 

ciliate 

Having generally straight, conspicuous hairs along margins or edges.

; stipules unlobed, 

dentate 

Having margins with sharp, relatively coarse teeth pointing outward, not tipward.

..... [V. bithynica]

13' Flowers 3–25, ± evenly spaced along inflorescence axis; fruit glabrous to strigose, margins not ciliate; 

stipule 

Appendage at base of petiole, generally paired, variable in form but often leaf- or scale-like, sometimes a spine.

lobes 

entire 

Having margins that are continuous and smooth (i.e., without teeth, lobes, etc.).

or lower 

lobe 

1. A major expansion or bulge, such as on the margin of a leaf, sepal, or petal, or on the surface of an ovary. 2. The free tips of otherwise fused structures, such as sepals or petals; larger than teeth.

dentate

14. Flowers generally spaced, on > 1 side of axis (except occasionally when pressed), 15–25 mm, length when pressed 2.5–3.5 × width; stalk-like fruit base 2–5 mm ..... V. americana subsp. americana

14' Flowers not spaced, generally on 1 side of axis, generally < 18 mm, length when pressed generally 4–6 × width; stalk-like fruit base 1.5–3 mm

15. Inflorescence generally ± = subtending 

leaf 

Organ arising from a stem, generally composed of a stalk (petiole) and a flat, expanded, green, photosynthetic area (blade); distinguished from a leaflet by the presence in its axil of a bud, branch, thorn, or flower; sometimes with lateral, basal appendages (stipules); either simple (toothed, lobed, or dissected but not divided into leaflets) or compound (divided into leaflets).

, 3–12-flowered; corolla dark or red-purple; fruit densely strigose ..... V. benghalensis

15' Inflorescence generally > subtending leaf, generally 10–25-flowered; corolla blue-purple or lavender to ± white; fruit glabrous or with short, sparse 

appressed 

Parallel or nearly parallel to and often in contact with surface of origin; used to describe the disposition of hairs, leaves, pedicels, etc.

hairs

16. Calyx generally obliquely attached but only ± lopsided-swollen at base; flower length when pressed ± 3–3.5 × width; fruit 6–7 mm wide ..... [V. cracca]

16' Calyx both obliquely attached and lopsided-swollen at base; flower length when pressed 4–6 × width; fruit 6–10 mm wide ..... V. villosa

17. Hairs on stems, leaves 0 or sparse, appressed, ± 1 mm; lower calyx lobe narrowly 

lanceolate 

Narrowly elongate, widest in the basal half, often tapered to an acute tip.

, generally 1–2.5 mm ..... subsp. varia

17' Hairs on upper stems, leaves not sparse, spreading, 1–2 mm; lower calyx lobe linear, 2–4 mm ..... subsp. villosa

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