''Vicia nigricans'' is a species of
vetch known by the common name black vetch. It has a
disjunct distribution
In biology, a taxon with a disjunct distribution is one that has two or more groups that are related but considerably separated from each other geographically. The causes are varied and might demonstrate either the expansion or contraction of a s ...
, its two subspecies divided by thousands of miles in range. The northern subspecies, ssp. ''gigantea'' (giant vetch), is native to western North America from
Alaska to northern
California, where it occurs in coastal and moist inland habitat and disturbed areas. The southern subspecies, ssp. ''nigricans'', occurs in southern South America, in
Argentina and
Chile.
This vetch is a perennial herb with stout, hollow, and ridged climbing stems that may reach two meters in length. It attaches to objects and other plants by its large branched
tendrils for support.
The leaves are made up of 9 to 13 pairs of lance-shaped or elongated oval leaflets that may measure up to 4 centimeters in length.
The
inflorescence is a one-sided
raceme
A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
of up to 15 or 20 flowers which have pale pink to dark reddish purple or sometimes yellowish to orange corollas. The flowers, each with a calyx about half as long as the corolla, are 1 to 2 centimeters long. They yield fruits which are
legume
A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...
pods measuring up to 4 centimeters long by 1.5 wide. As they dry they turn black.
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfileWashington Burke MuseumPhoto gallery
nigrican
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