About Vicia grandiflora Scop.
Vicia grandiflora Scop. is a relatively common annual legume. It is a usually upright, sprawling hirsute vining plant, growing between 30 and 60 centimetres tall. It produces alternate, petiolate, pinnately compound leaves, with 6 to 14 leaflets total. Leaflet shape varies by subspecies: leaflets are round to obovate in Vicia grandiflora subsp. grandiflora, and linear to oblanceolate, sometimes narrowly cordate, in Vicia grandiflora subsp. sordida. Each individual leaflet ends in a short, sharp point, and each full leaf ends in a three-part tendril. This species is pollinated by insects, and flowers in spring, typically from April to June. Its flowers are the typical bilaterally symmetrical papilionaceous form made up of a banner, keel and wing, with bright yellow petals; over time, flowers may fade from their original bright yellow to a pale lavender shade. Individual flowers measure 2 to 3 centimetres across, and several flowers grow together to form an inflorescence. Inflorescences may be either sessile or borne on short petioles. The species' sepals are fused into a long calyx tube that is sometimes hairy, ending in pointed calyx teeth. Its dry fruit is a legume pod measuring 3 to 5 centimetres. The pod typically darkens as it ages, and splits open when ripe to release its seeds. Vicia grandiflora can be confused with similar species, including the vetches Vicia lutea and Vicia pannonia, and the vetchling Lathyrus pratensis. Vicia grandiflora is native to Europe and parts of Asia, where it has been recorded in Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. It was later introduced to North America, likely as forage for grazing animals. In North America, it is mostly restricted to eastern and southeastern states of the United States, and it is considered an invasive species in some areas. Vicia grandiflora grows in a wide range of different habitats, including anthropologically modified urban areas. It can be found on meadows, in open forests, in fields and gardens, and in ruderal landscapes. It rarely occurs in mountains, only growing at elevations up to 1,800 metres. It is a habitat generalist that prefers warm, sunny growing sites. It is listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, and its overall population is rated as stable.
