Quercus

Garden Vetch

Vicia sativa

Not native to South Carolina

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

18CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including SC

Genus host records with ranges including SC · Vicia

  • Anicla illapsaSnowy Dart
  • Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
  • Caenurgia chlorophaVetch Looper Moth
  • Cecropterus pyladesNorthern Cloudywing
  • Colias eurythemeOrange Sulphur, Alfalfa Butterfly
  • Colias philodiceClouded Sulphur, Clover Butterfly
  • Cupido comyntasEastern Tailed-Blue
  • Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
  • Eurema dairaBarred Yellow, Barred Sulphur
  • Gesta baptisiaeWild Indigo Duskywing, Baptisia Duskywing
Show all 18
  • Glaucopsyche lygdamusSilvery Blue
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
  • Mocis latipesSmall Mocis, Striped Grass Looper
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
  • Urbanus proteusLong-Tailed Skipper, Bean Leaf Roller
  • Filatima xanthuris
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
1Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Vicia

  • Megachile melanophaea
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
10BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Vicia

  • Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
  • Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove
  • Cyrtonyx montezumaeMontezuma Quail
  • Francolinus francolinusBlack Francolin
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Oreortyx pictusMountain Quail
  • Perdix perdixGray Partridge
  • Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Fabaceae
Hardiness
Zones 2a–10b
Soil pH
Neutral
Flower color
Purple
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Single stem
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Spring
Fruit ends
Spring

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “Early spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Flower color · “Purple” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “Spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit ends · “Spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth habit · “Single stem” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Hardiness · “Zones 2a–10b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Height · “About 4 feet” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Leaf retention · “Deciduous” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Life cycle · “Annual” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • primary_flower_color · “purple” · USDA PLANTS
  • Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Soil pH · “Neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as

Common Vetch

Conservation status

South Carolina rankNot available
Global rankGNR
SC statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources