Vicia pannonica
Encyclopedia
Vicia pannonica is a species of vetch
known by the common name Hungarian vetch. It is native to southern and eastern Europe and western Asia, and it is sometimes cultivated as an agricultural crop
for use as hay
and fodder
. It may escape cultivation and grow as a casual roadside weed
. This is an annual herb producing a hairy, climbing stem supported by the tendril
s on its leaf-tips. The leaves are each made up of 10 to 20 oval or oblong leaflets measuring up to 2.5 centimeters in length. The inflorescence
bears two to four pealike flowers each up to 2 centimeters long. The flower corolla is yellow or purple-marked and the back of the banner (the large top petal) is coated in soft hairs. The fruit is a hairy legume pod 2 to 3 centimeters long.
Vicia
Vicia is a genus of about 140 species of flowering plants commonly known as vetches. It is in the legume family . Member species are native to Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Africa. Some other genera of their subfamily Faboideae also have names containing "vetch", for example the...
known by the common name Hungarian vetch. It is native to southern and eastern Europe and western Asia, and it is sometimes cultivated as an agricultural crop
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
for use as hay
Hay
Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
and fodder
Fodder
Fodder or animal feed is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. Most animal feed is from plants but some is of animal origin...
. It may escape cultivation and grow as a casual roadside weed
Weed
A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More specifically, the term is often used to...
. This is an annual herb producing a hairy, climbing stem supported by the tendril
Tendril
In botany, a tendril is a specialized stem, leaf or petiole with a threadlike shape that is used by climbing plants for support, attachment and cellular invasion by parasitic plants, generally by twining around suitable hosts. They do not have a lamina or blade, but they can photosynthesize...
s on its leaf-tips. The leaves are each made up of 10 to 20 oval or oblong leaflets measuring up to 2.5 centimeters in length. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
bears two to four pealike flowers each up to 2 centimeters long. The flower corolla is yellow or purple-marked and the back of the banner (the large top petal) is coated in soft hairs. The fruit is a hairy legume pod 2 to 3 centimeters long.