| 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.
| Introduced |
Annual, puberulent-strigose or hairy
Stem sprawling, ascending, or climbing
Leaf: leaflets 12–18, 1–2.5 cm, narrowly oblong to elliptic, tip rounded, 1-toothed
Inflorescence generally > subtending leaf; flowers generally > 9, generally crowded, sometimes spaced, generally on 1 side of axis
Flower: calyx obliquely attached, lopsided-swollen at base, lower lobes lanceolate to wispy; corolla 1–1.8 cm, length when pressed 4–6 X width, violet-purple or lavender to white
Fruit 1.5–4 cm, 6–10 mm wide, widely oblong or elliptic, glabrous; stalk-like base 2–3 mm
Chromosomes: 2n=14
Ecology: Sporadic, locally abundant. Roadsides, fields, urban waste areas
Elevation: especially < 1000 m.
Bioregional distribution: California Floristic Province
Distribution outside California: to US; native to Europe
Important green manure, cover crop.
| Introduced |
At least upper stems and leaves with conspicuous, 1–2 mm hairs
Inflorescence generally > 19-flowered, dense
Flower: lower calyx lobes 2–4 mm, thread-like or wispy, often curved; corolla 1.4–1.8 cm
Ecology: Habitats, elevation, range of sp
Elevation:
Bioregional distribution: California Floristic Province