30. VÍCIA, Tourn. Vetch. Tare.
Calyx 5-cleft or 5-toothed, the 2 upper teeth often shorter, or the lowest longer. Wings of the corolla adhering to the middle of the keel. Stamens more or less diadelphous (9 and 1); the orifice of the tube oblique. Style filiform, hairy all round or only on the back at the apex. Pod flat, 2-valved, 2–several-seeded. Seeds globular. Cotyledons very thick, remaining under ground in germination.—Herbs, mostly climbing more or less by the tendril at the end of the pinnate leaves. Stipules half-sagittate. Flowers or peduncles axillary. (The classical Latin name.)
[*] Annual; flowers 1 or 2 in the axils, nearly sessile, large, violet-purple.
V. satìva, L. (Common Vetch or Tare.) Somewhat pubescent; stem simple; leaflets 5–7 pairs, varying from obovate-oblong to linear, notched and mucronate at the apex; pod linear, several-seeded.—Cultivated fields and waste places, N. Eng. to N. J. and southward, west to Mich. and Minn.—Var. angustifòlia, Seringe, has longer and narrow leaflets. (Adv. from Eu.)
[*][*] Annual, slender; peduncles elongated; flowers small.
V. tetraspérma, L. Peduncles 1–2-flowered; leaflets 4–6 pairs, linear-oblong, obtuse; calyx-teeth unequal; corolla whitish; pods narrow, 4-seeded, smooth.—Waste places, near the coast, N. Scotia to N. J. (Nat. from Eu.)
V. hirsùta, Koch. Peduncles 3–6-flowered; leaflets 6–8 pairs, truncate; calyx-teeth equal; corolla bluish; pods oblong, 2-seeded, hairy.—N. Brunswick to Mass. and Va. (Nat. from Eu.)
[*][*][*] Perennial; peduncles elongated; calyx-teeth unequal; pod several-seeded.
1. V. Crácca, L. Downy-pubescent; leaflets 20–24, oblong-lanceolate, strongly mucronate; spikes densely many-flowered, 1-sided; flowers blue, turning purple, 6´´ long, reflexed; calyx-teeth shorter than the tube.—Borders of thickets, Newf. to N. J., west to Ky., Iowa, and Minn. (Eu.)
2. V. Caroliniàna, Walt. Nearly smooth; leaflets 8–24, oblong, obtuse, scarcely mucronate; peduncles loosely-flowered; flowers small, more scattered than in the preceding, whitish, the keel tipped with blue; calyx-teeth very short.—River-banks, Ont. and N. Y. to Ga., west to Minn. and Kan.