Vicia orobus
| Wood bitter-vetch | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Genus: | Vicia |
| Section: | Vicia sect. Cassubicae |
| Species: | V. orobus |
| Binomial name | |
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Vicia orobus DC. |
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| Synonyms | |
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Orobus sylvaticus L. |
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| External identifiers for Vicia orobus | |
|---|---|
| Encyclopedia of Life | 704182 |
| NCBI | 1042225 |
| Also found in: , Tropicos | |
Orobus sylvaticus L.
Vicia orobus is a species of leguminous plant in the genus Vicia, known as wood bitter-vetch. It is found in Atlantic areas of Europe, especially in the rocky edges of seasonally-grazed fields. It grows up to 60 cm (24 in) tall, and has no tendrils at the ends of its pinnate leaves. Its flowers are white with purple veins, and are borne in groups of 6 or more.
Vicia orobus is a perennial plant, growing up to 60 centimetres (24 in) tall. Its leaves are paripinnate, with 6–15 pairs of leaflets on each leaf. The flowers are borne in groups of 6–20. Each individual flower is 12–15 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long, and is white with purple veins. The fruit is a 4–5-seeded pod around 20–30 mm (0.8–1.2 in) long.
V. orobus can be distinguished from other species of Vicia occurring in the British Isles by a number of characters. It is one of three species to lack tendrils (the others being V. lathyroides and V. faba), with the leaves terminating instead in a short point. It differs from the other two species without tendrils in being perennial, having more than 6 flowers in each inflorescence, having peduncles more than 3 cm (1.2 in) long, and having more than 5 pairs of leaflets in each pinnate leaf. The lack of tendrils is thought to represent a primitive state within the genus Vicia.
Vicia orobus has an Atlantic distribution, occurring from northern Spain to Norway, at altitudes of 0–2,380 metres (0–7,808 ft). In Great Britain, V. orobus has a westerly distribution, and is extinct in South East England. Much of the global population is found in the British Isles, where it is largely restricted to altitudes of 200–300 metres (660–980 ft), except in the far north (north of Lochinver), where it can be found down to sea level. Its stronghold is in central and north-western Wales.
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Wikipedia