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 Appearance:
Both plants are annual or short-lived perennial forbs. Their weak
stems grow 2-3' high and clamber over other vegetation, smothering
it. The stem of hairy vetch has spreading hairs. Leaves:
Alternate, pinnately compound (leaflets on both sides of a common
stalk); 8-12 pairs of narrow oval-shaped opposite leaflets. Flower:
Violet-blue on cow vetch and blue and white on hairy vetch. Flowers
are clustered on one-sided spikes and bloom from May to August. Seed:
Seeds are contained in numerous inch-long pods. Pods of cow vetch
are brownish lance-shaped and flat; pods of hairy vetch are gray to
black and hairy. Root: Both plants have a 1-3' long taproot. |
Cow vetch and hairy vetch are not a
threat to healthy native prairies at this time, but can be a problem
in prairie reconstructions and on disturbed sites. They grow best
on dry sandy soils of disturbed fields and thickets. Both vetches
are naturalized in the U.S. and are grown for forage, green fertilizer
or cover crop. They occur throughout the eastern and Midwestern states
extending into southern Canada . |
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