Common Name:
Tufted Vetch, Bird Vetch
Scientific Name:
Vicia cracca L.
Family:
Fabaceae


Photo courtesy of
Marta Mueller

Description: Tufted vetch is a perennial plant with multiple vine-like stems up to 1.5 foot tall. Stems are branching with small tendrils and leaves comprised of 8 to 10 leaflets. Purple flowers are bilaterally symmetrical and are arranged in a one-sided spike. Fruit are borne in dehiscent pods.Many varieties of vetch were introduced as forage crops from Europe.

Control: Perennial plants require depletion of nutrient reserves in the root system, prevention of seed production and prevention of dispersal. Vetch seeds disperse by the ballistic action of drying seedpods helping infestations grow rapidly.