vetch

winter vetchWinter vetch (Vicia villosa), a common forage crop.
Vetch (Vicia cracca)
Vetch (Vicia cracca)

vetch, (genus Vicia), genus of about 140 species of herbaceous plants in the pea family (Fabaceae). The fava bean (Vicia faba) is an important food crop, and several other species of vetch are cultivated as fodder and cover crops and as green manure. Like other legumes, they add nitrogen to the soil by means of nitrogen-fixing bacteria and thus are particularly valuable as a soil-enriching crop. For the low-growing ground cover Securigera varia, see crown vetch.

fava bean
fava beanPods of the broad bean, or fava bean (Vicia faba). The symbioses of fava beans and other legumes with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, such as Rhizobium, form nitrogen compounds that can be used by plants, which are in turn consumed by animals.

The plants are 30–120 cm (1–4 feet) tall, with trailing or climbing stems. The compound leaves have several pairs of leaflets and often feature a terminal tendril. The magenta, white, bluish white, or yellow flowers are borne singly or in clusters and produce legumes with 2 to 10 seeds.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.
Citation Information
Article Title: vetch
Website Name: Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published: 04 April 2019
URL: https://www.britannica.comhttps://www.britannica.com/plant/vetch
Access Date: November 21, 2024