common vetch

Vicia sativa

Member of vetches (genus Vicia)
vetches vs. vetchlings
legume family (family Fabaceae)
dicots (class Magnoliopsida)
flowering plants (subphylum Angiospermae)

There are no other wild members of this species in California.

Key features:

length of calyx lobes (supposedly no overlap, but measure carefully!)
length of corolla (supposedly no overlap, but measure carefully!)
length vs. width of leaflets (there is substantial overlap here)

spring vetch
Vicia sativa ssp. sativa

spring vetch
Vicia sativa ssp. sativa

calyx tube 6–7 mm, lobes 5–11 mm
corolla 18–30 mm
leaflets 4–10 mm wide, wedge-shaped to oblong, length 2–6 × width

narrow-leaved vetch
Vicia sativa ssp. nigra

narrow-leaved vetch
Vicia sativa ssp. nigra

Caution: ID unsure

calyx tube 4.5–5.5 mm, lobes 3–4.5 mm
corolla 10–18 mm
leaflets 5–7 mm wide, linear to generally lance-oblong, length 4–10 × width

Toxicity of vetch, common (Vicia sativa):
0 – Non-toxic.

2 observed taxons / 1 key

Chris’s observations: 59 (33 are research grade)

Locations:

Edgewood Park & Natural Preserve: 9
Coyote Lake / Harvey Bear Ranch CP: 6
Henry Coe SP: 6
Almaden Quicksilver CP: 3
Calero CP: 3
Russian Ridge OSP: 3
Waterdog Lake & Open Space: 3
Long Ridge OSP: 2
Santa Teresa CP: 2
Skyline Ridge OSP: 2
Sweeney Ridge National Recreation Area: 2
Alum Rock Park, San Jose
Castle Rock SP
Coyote Hills RP
Dry Creek Pioneer RP
Ed R. Levin CP
Fort Ord NM
Fremont Older OSP
Murray Ranch SP
Máyyan 'Ooyákma Coyote Ridge OSP
Pleasanton Ridge RP
Purisima Creek Redwoods OSP
Sierra Azul OSP
Stevens Creek CP
Stevens Creek Trail
Sunol Wilderness RP
UCSC Campus Natural Reserve
Wilder Ranch SP
Windy Hill OSP

Months:

Feb.: 6
Mar.: 13
Apr.: 23
May: 11
Jun.: 4
Jul.: 1
Aug.: 1

For more details, use advanced search.

Not all sites include this taxon:

Vicia sativa → iNaturalist – Calflora – CalPhotos – Jepson eFlora
not yet listed → FNA

Bay Area species: iNaturalist – Calflora