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American Vetch, Purple Vetch

Vicia americana

Also listed as Vicia americana var. americana

Found in dry rocky or shaly woodlands, forest edges, riverside scours and prairies. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

77
Strong

Native to West Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 65%

Height
About 1.3 feet
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
Late spring
Fruiting season
Summer to fall

Not yet recorded · Spread · Light · Soil · Life cycle

Recorded in 2 West Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Prairies and grasslands

Barrens native plants returning after prescribed fire, September 2020
Barrens grassland after a prescribed fire. Shown: Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, a neighboring state.Barrens native plants returning after prescribed fire, September 2020, NPS Photo / Rick Olson, September 2020. Public domain. Source record.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Forest edges and thickets

Borders of forests, clearings and shrubby thickets.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in West Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 129 animals.

All wildlife of West Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

15CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · 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
  • Gesta baptisiaeWild Indigo Duskywing, Baptisia Duskywing
  • Glaucopsyche lygdamusSilvery Blue
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
Show all 15
  • 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
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
21BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Vicia

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
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)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Family not recorded
Flower color
Purple
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Spreads by rhizomes
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Fall

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

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “Late spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Flower color · “Purple” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit ends · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth habit · “Spreads by rhizomes” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Height · “About 1.3 feet” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Leaf retention · “Deciduous” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Also known as

American Purple Vetch; Vicia americana

Conservation status

West Virginia rankS4
Global rankG5
WV statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

  • Spreads by rhizomes. USDA PLANTS lists its growth form as rhizomatous. USDA PLANTS

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources