Vicia cracca
| Vicia cracca | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 6' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Nitrogen Fixer | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Vicia cracca (common name: tufted vetch)
Propagation: Pre-soak the seed for 24 hours in warm water and then sow in situ in spring or autumn.
Cultivation: 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[1].
This species has occasionally been cultivated as a food plant, but yields are too low to make it very worthwhile[2].
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[1].
Range: Northern Europe, including Britain, to Japan in northern Asia.
Habitat: Grassy and bushy places, avoiding acid soils[3][4].
Edibility: Seed - cooked[2][5][6]. They are boiled or roasted[7].
Leaves and young stems - cooked[6]. Used as a potherb[7].
The leaves are a tea substitute[7].
Medicinal: The cooked plant is used as a galactogogue[8].
Usage: Can be used as a green manure[9].
Pollinators: Bees, flies
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Douglas, James. Alternative Foods.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.