Perennial, Herbs, Taproot present, Nodules present, Stems or branches arching, spreading or decumbent, Stems prostrate, trailing, or mat forming, Stems less than 1 m tall, Stems 1-2 m tall, Climbing by tendrils, Stems solid, Stems or young twigs glabrous or sparsely glabrate, Stems or young twigs sparsely to densely hairy, Leaves alternate, Leaves petiolate, Stipules inconspicuous, absent, or caducous, Stipules green, triangulate to lanceolate or foliaceous, Stipules persistent, Stipules free, Leaves compound, Leaves even pinnate, Leaf or leaflet margins entire, Leaflets opposite, Leaflets alternate or subopposite, Leaflets 5-9, Leaflets 10-many, Leaves glabrous or nearly so, Inflorescences racemes, Inflorescence axillary, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Flowers zygomorphic, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx glabrous, Petals separate, Corolla papilionaceous, Petals clawed, Petals white, Petals bicolored or with red, purple or yellow streaks or spots, Banner petal ovoid or obovate, Wing petals narrow, oblanceolate to oblong, Wing petals auriculate, Wing tips obtuse or rounded, Keel tips obtuse or rounded, not beaked, Stamens 9-10, Stamens diadelphous, 9 united, 1 free, Filaments glabrous, Style terete, Style sharply bent, Style hairy, Style hairy on one side only, Style with distal tuft of hairs, Fruit a legume, Fruit stipitate, Fruit unilocular, Fruit freely dehiscent, Fruit oblong or ellipsoidal, Fruit exserted from calyx, Valves twisting or coiling after dehiscence, Fruit glabrous or glabrate, Fr uit 3-10 seeded, Seeds ovoid to rounded in outline, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black, Seed surface mottled or patchy.

Martin and Hutchins 1980

Duration: Perennial Nativity: Native Lifeform: Vine General: Slender, climbing perennial with stems to 80 cm long, often tangled and matted. Leaves: Pinnately compound with tendril at the apex, 10-16 leaflets, leaflets linear-oblong, loosely pubescent. Flowers: Peduncles shorter than leaves but many flowered, 6-20 in each raceme, calyx teeth much shorter than tube, corolla 5-8 mm long, creamy-white with banner purple-veined and keel purple tipped sometimes. Fruits: Pods glabrous, 25-30 mm long. Ecology: Found in moist soils from 6,000-8,500 ft (1829-2591 m); flowers July-September. Notes: Differs from V. americana by its cream-colored flowers, and from V. leucophaea by its perennial habit and many-flowered raceme. Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: Vicia is the classical Latin name for the genus, while pulchella is derived from the Latin, meaning beautiful. Synonyms: None Editor: SBuckley, 2010