1. Guides
  2. MVP
  3. Vogel-Wicke

Vogel-Wicke

Vicia cracca

Summary 5

Vicia cracca (tufted vetch, cow vetch, bird vetch, boreal vetch), is a species of vetch native to Europe and Asia. It occurs on other continents as an introduced species, including North America, where it is a common weed. It often occurs in disturbed habitats, including old-fields and roadside ditches.

Description 6

Cow Vetch is similar to a pea in growth habit, sending out noose-like branched tendrils from the tips of its leaves when it contacts another plant and securely fastens itself. This can cause "strangling" of smaller plants. An individual plant may reach a length (or height) of 2 m and its taproot may extend up to 1 m. The leaves are 3–8 cm long, pinnate, with 8–12 pairs of leaflets, each leaflet 5–10 mm long.

The plant is fast-growing and flowers prolifically, sending out 10 to 40 flowered one-sided racemes cascading pea-flower shaped purple to violet flowers from the leaf axil during its late spring to late summer flowering period. The flowers drop off and tiny bright green seed pods 10 - 20mm long,start to form. Cow Vetch is very similar to Hairy Vetch (V. villosa), but is distinguished from the latter by its smooth stem.

The seed pods are 2 cm long and contain 6 to 8 seeds. They resemble those of a very small pea. The tiny seeds within are ripe when the pods have turned black. Unripened seeds are swollen and have a green tint to them, but they unswell when they become ripe. The seed pods vary from light brown to dark brown with black spots.

Habitat 6

In hedges and waste places.

Cultivation and uses 6

Cow Vetch is widely used as a forage crop for cattle, and is beneficial to other plants because, like other leguminous plants, it enriches the soil in which it grows by its nitrogen-fixing properties. Cow Vetch is also much appreciated by bees and butterflies as a source of nectar. The plant may also be used to curb erosion.

Owners of pet birds such as Budgerigars often use Cow Vetch as a nutritious food; the birds are especially fond of the seeds but may also eat the foliage.

Its utility as a cover crop and source of green manure has encouraged the introduction and naturalisation of Cow Vetch far beyond its native range. In North America the plant is naturalised from southern Canada to northern South Carolina; it is considered an invasiveweed in some areas and its sale may be regulated.

Cow Vetch is considered by some to be a potentially detrimental species in areas where it is not native. The vetch may crowd out native plants, especially in areas of disturbed soil where the vetch may dominate before other plants have a chance to take hold. This is especially a concern in prairie and other natural habitat restoration or land reclamation projects in North America.

Associations 7

Foodplant / miner
larva of Agromyza bicophaga mines leaf of Vicia cracca
Other: sole host/prey

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Plant / resting place / on
puparium of Agromyza erythrocephala may be found on stem of Vicia cracca

Plant / resting place / on
puparium of Agromyza marionae may be found on stem of Vicia cracca

Foodplant / gall
larva of Apion aethiops causes gall of stem of Vicia cracca
Other: major host/prey

Foodplant / internal feeder
larva of Apion cerdo feeds within pod (feeding on unripe seeds) of Vicia cracca
Other: major host/prey

Foodplant / feeds on
larva of Apion craccae feeds on Vicia cracca

Foodplant / gall
larva of Apion gyllenhali causes gall of stem of Vicia cracca
Other: major host/prey

Foodplant / internal feeder
larva of Apion pomonae feeds within pod (on unripe seeds) of Vicia cracca
Other: major host/prey

Foodplant / feeds on
larva of Apion spencii feeds on Vicia cracca
Other: major host/prey

Foodplant / internal feeder
larva of Apion viciae feeds within flower (feeding on anthers, pistils) of Vicia cracca

Foodplant / feeds on
larva of Apion vorax feeds on Vicia cracca
Other: major host/prey

Foodplant / spot causer
epiphyllous, aggregated, minute, black pycnidium of Ascochyta coelomycetous anamorph of Ascochyta viciae causes spots on live pod of Vicia cracca
Remarks: season: 8-9

Foodplant / parasite
Erysiphe pisi var. pisi parasitises Vicia cracca

Foodplant / open feeder
larva of Hypera suspiciosa grazes on leaf of Vicia cracca
Other: major host/prey

Foodplant / parasite
sporangium of Peronospora viciae parasitises live Vicia cracca

Foodplant / spot causer
mostly hypophyllous colony of Ramularia anamorph of Ramularia sphaeroidea causes spots on leaf of Vicia cracca
Other: major host/prey

Plant / resting place / on
larva of Sericothrips gracilicornis may be found on live Vicia cracca
Remarks: season: 7-9

Foodplant / parasite
telium of Uromyces viciae-fabae var. viciae-fabae parasitises live Vicia cracca

Foodplant / gall
Vasates retiolatus causes gall of leaf of Vicia cracca

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Liisa-Maija Harju, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/68309187@N00/2674769792
  2. (c) Michiel Thomas, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/mitho/7358873330/
  3. (c) nz_willowherb, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.flickr.com/photos/willowherb/9153408466/
  4. (c) bramblejungle, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.flickr.com/photos/bramblejungle/14549859696/
  5. Adapted by Bea Steinemann from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicia_cracca
  6. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicia_cracca
  7. (c) BioImages, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/22911970

More Info

iNat Map

Member of the iNaturalist Network   |   Powered by iNaturalist open source software |   Documentation for developers