About Vicia benghalensis L.
Vicia benghalensis L. is a species of vetch that has the common names purple vetch and reddish tufted vetch. It is native to southern Europe, North Africa, and nearby islands. It is used in agriculture in regions outside its native range, and may also occur growing wild as an introduced species. It is an annual herb with a climbing stem covered in hairs, often densely, which gives the entire plant a silvery white appearance. Each leaf is composed of several pairs of elongated leaflets, each reaching up to 3 centimeters in length. The inflorescence is a one-sided raceme that holds several dark reddish purple flowers. Each flower has a calyx of sepals that is densely hairy, and a tubular corolla between 1 and 2 centimeters long. Its fruit is a flat, hairy legume pod that grows up to 3.5 centimeters long, and holds multiple seeds. This plant is used as a cover crop and green manure to improve soil, and to control weeds and pests. It is also used in crop rotation, grown to produce hay and fodder, and used as a honey plant, and it produces a very high biomass yield. It has been reported that both the seeds and forage of purple vetch can cause poisoning in humans and livestock, so caution is needed when feeding these products.
