Tufted Vetch, Bird vetch, Cow vetch
Vicia cracca
Family: Fabaceae or Leguminosae
What it is like
Vicia cracca is a PERENNIAL CLIMBER growing to 1.8 m (6ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5. It is in flower from May to August, and the seeds ripen from July to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, flies. The plant is self-fertile. It can fix Nitrogen. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 1.8
Where it is found
Grassy and bushy places, avoiding acid soils.
Northern Europe, including Britain, to Japan in northern Asia.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 1
Seed - cooked. They are boiled or roasted. Leaves and young stems - cooked. Used as a potherb. The leaves are a tea substitute.
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Tea: the various herb teas that can be used in place of tea, plus the genuine article.
Medicine
Rating: 1
The cooked plant is used as a galactogogue.
Galactogogue: Promotes the flow of milk in a nursing mother.
Other
Rating: 3
Can be used as a green manure. A dynamic accumulator gathering minerals or nutrients from the soil and storing them in a more bioavailable form - used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.
Green manure: Fast-growing plants that can be used to increase the fertility of the soil.
Dynamic accumulator: Plants that gather minerals or nutrients from the soil and store them in a more bioavailable form and in high concentration in their tissues. Used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
Nitrogen Fixer: Plants that fix nitrogen in the soil
How it is grown
Succeeds in any well-drained soil in a sunny position if the soil is reliably moist throughout the growing season, otherwise it is best grown in semi-shade. This species has occasionally been cultivated as a food plant, but yields are too low to make it very worthwhile. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. Growth habit is a single or multiple shooting vine from a crown. Herbaceous. The root pattern is rhizomatous with underground stems sending roots and shoots along their length.
Propagating it: Pre-soak the seed for 24 hours in warm water and then sow in situ in spring or autumn.
Best place to grow: Meadow; Hedgerow;
Habit: Perennial Climber
Hardiness: 4-8
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist