''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 tall, and has no

tendril In botany, a tendril is a specialized stem, leaf or petiole with a threadlike shape used by climbing plants for support and attachment, as well as cellular invasion by parasitic plants such as ''Cuscuta''. There are many plants that have tendr ...

s at the ends of its pinnate leaves. Its

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are white with purple veins, and are borne in groups of 6 or more.

Description

''Vicia orobus'' is a

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

, growing up to tall. Its leaves are

paripinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and in ...

, with 6–15 pairs of leaflets on each leaf. The flowers are borne in groups of 6–20. Each individual flower is long, and is white with purple veins. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

is a 4–5-seeded pod around 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

s (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 An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

, having peduncles more than 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''.

Distribution

''Vicia orobus'' has an Atlantic distribution, occurring from northern

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, at altitudes of . In

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

, ''V. orobus'' has a westerly distribution, and is extinct in South East England. Much of the global population is found in the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

, where it is largely restricted to altitudes of , except in the far north (north of

Lochinver Lochinver (''Loch an Inbhir'' in Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic) is a village that is located at the head of the sea loch Loch Inver, on the coast in the Assynt district of Sutherland, Scottish Highlands, Highland, Scotland. A few miles northeast is Loc ...

), where it can be found down to

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...

. Its stronghold is in central and north-western

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. In

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, ''V. orobus'' is declining in numbers, and has been found recently at fewer than a dozen sites, most of which hold very small populations. It is therefore accorded legal protection in the Republic of Ireland, under the ''Flora (Protection) Order 1999''. In continental Europe, ''V. orobus'' is replaced to the east by '' V. cassubica'', with the division between the two species running through central France. It is present as a native species in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, where it is the only truly Atlantic species.

Habitat

''Vicia orobus'' is found in a variety of sites, including the edges of woods, on heaths, in

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artifi ...

s or in rocky places over

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

. In Great Britain, it is frequently found at the edges of fields where

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...

are grazed in winter, but a

hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticated ...

crop is grown in summer. It is threatened by both overgrazing and undergrazing, as well as other activities, such as grassland improvement and

land reclamation Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamati ...

. ''V. orobus'' flowers from May to July and is pollinated by

bee Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyly, monophyletic lineage within the ...

s. Many species are associated with ''V. orobus'' in Great Britain, including ''

Alchemilla glabra ''Alchemilla glabra'' is a species of plants belonging to the family Rosaceae. It is native to Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hem ...

'', ''

Carex pallescens ''Carex pallescens'', called pale sedge, is a widespread species of flowering plant in the genus '' Carex'', native to the northeastern United States, eastern Canada, Iceland, Europe, Tunisia, and western Asia. It has unstable chromosome numbers. ...

'', ''

Genista anglica ''Genista anglica'', the petty whin, needle furze or needle whin, is a shrubby flowering plant of the family Fabaceae which can be found growing in Cornwall, Wales and eastern Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, ...

'', ''

Pseudorchis albida ''Pseudorchis'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. The sole species is the small white orchid (''Pseudorchis albida''). It is found across much of Europe and northern Asia from Spain and Iceland to Kamcha ...

'', '' Rhinanthus minor'', ''

Stachys officinalis ''Betonica officinalis'' ( syn. ''Stachys officinalis''), commonly known as common hedgenettle, betony, purple betony, wood betony, bishopwort, or bishop's wort, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to Europe, wes ...

'' and ''

Viola lutea ''Viola lutea'', the mountain pansy, is a species of violet that grows in Europe, from the British Isles to the Balkans. Description ''Viola lutea'' grows to a height of around . Its flowers are in diameter, and are typically yellow, although s ...

''. At some sites in Ireland, ''V. orobus'' is associated with species such as '' Dryas octopetala'', ''

Sesleria albicans ''Sesleria albicans'' is a species of perennial grass in the family Poaceae which can be found throughout Europe. Description The species is perennial and caespitose with erect and slender culms that are long. It have a ligule that goes arou ...

'' and ''

Geranium sanguineum ''Geranium sanguineum'', common names bloody crane's-bill or bloody geranium, is a species of hardy flowering herbaceous perennial plant in the cranesbill family Geraniaceae. It is also the county flower of Northumberland. Geranium sanguineum ...

'', which are characteristic of the flora of the Burren, although ''V. orobus'' does not occur in the Burren, or in floristically similar regions nearby.

Taxonomy

''Vicia orobus'' was first described by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in the 1815 work '. It is classified in the section ''Vicia'' sect. ''Cassubicae'', alongside species such as '' V. cassubica'', '' V. megalotropis'' and its likely sister species, '' V. sparsiflora''.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q159825 orobus Flora of Europe Plants described in 1815