# hairy vetch (*Vicia villosa*) Hairy vetch is a climbing plant with fuzzy leaves and pretty purple flowers. It grows in fields and gardens, helping to make the soil healthy and full of nutrients. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 10 - **Habitat:** Grasslands ![hairy vetch](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Vicia_villosa.jpeg&width=800) Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Fabelfroh assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vicia_villosa.jpeg) ## Appearance The hairy vetch has slender, fuzzy stems that twine and climb. Its feather-like leaves end in grasping tendrils. Bright purplish-blue flowers grow in dense, one-sided clusters along a stalk, making it easy to spot. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Fabales - **Family:** Fabaceae - **Genus:** Vicia ## Interesting facts - Farmers sometimes plant it as "green manure" to improve farm soil. - Its name comes from the fuzzy hairs covering its stems and leaves! - The tendrils act like tiny grappling hooks, helping it cling tightly. - Vetch seeds can stay hidden in the soil for many years before sprouting! ## Special abilities - **Nitrogen Factory:** Special root nodules host bacteria that convert air's nitrogen into food for the plant and enrich the soil. - **Soil Saver:** Its deep roots help to break up compacted soil and prevent erosion, making the ground healthier. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 30-200 cm - **Spread:** 30-100 cm - **Flower Size:** 1-1.5 cm - **Bloom Season:** Late spring to early summer - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Annual - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** European Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Collects nectar and pollen from its purple flowers. - **Pollinates:** Buff-tailed Bumblebee (*Bombus terrestris*) — A vital pollinator, helping flowers create seeds. - **Symbiotic with:** Soil Bacteria (*Rhizobium leguminosarum*) — Lives in roots, helping the vetch get nitrogen from air. - **Eats:** Black Bean Aphid (*Aphis fabae*) — Feeds on sap, often found in clusters on young shoots. ## Traits - [Climbing/Vine](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/climbing-vine): Climbing or vine plants are characterized by a growth habit that allows them to ascend upwards by twining, tendrils, or adhesive roots. - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Nitrogen Fixing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nitrogen-fixing): Describes organisms capable of converting atmospheric nitrogen into compounds usable by plants. - [Biennial](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/biennial): Biennial plants complete their life cycle over two growing seasons, typically forming foliage in the first year and flowering/seeding in the second. - [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth. - [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished. - [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Keystone Species](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/keystone-species): Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always ask an adult before touching or picking plants in nature. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify hairy vetch? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is hairy vetch? 30-200 cm ### How wide does hairy vetch spread? 30-100 cm ### How big are the flowers on hairy vetch? 1-1.5 cm ### When does hairy vetch bloom? Late spring to early summer ### Is hairy vetch edible? Yes ### Is hairy vetch toxic? None ### What is hairy vetch's lifecycle? Annual ## Where to spot - [Darlington Agency](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/darlington-agency) — Oklahoma, US · Historic District - [Kal-Haven Trail](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/kal-haven-trail) — Michigan, US · Trail - [Louisiana Purchase State Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/louisiana-purchase-state-park) — Arkansas, US · State Park - [Marked Tree Lock and Siphons](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/marked-tree-lock-and-siphons) — Arkansas, US · Historic Site - [Blackacre Nature Preserve and Historic Homestead](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/blackacre-nature-preserve-and-historic-homestead) — Kentucky, US · Nature Reserve - [Cascades Raptor Center](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/cascades-raptor-center) — Oregon, US · Zoo [View all places to see hairy vetch](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/hairy-vetch) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Hairy Vetch: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/hairy-vetch)