Flower profile

American vetch

Vicia americana

American vetch (Vicia americana) is a vine in the Fabaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–July across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

American vetch is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 3 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–July.

32states where USDA records it

3Bloomipedia state lists include it

9,964U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota

Quick look

Vicia americana is a species of legume in the vetch genus known by the common names American vetch and purple vetch. It includes a subspecies known as mat vetch.
From Wikipedia's article Vicia americana, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Fabaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a vine with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 32 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Colorado, South Dakota and North Dakota. ^NatureServe
In Colorado, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–July. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as purple. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as late spring. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 1.3 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 1,806 research-grade sightings of it in Colorado, ranking #91 among the 160 flowers on our Colorado list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 272 research-grade sightings of it in South Dakota, ranking #50 among the 126 flowers on our South Dakota list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 172 research-grade sightings of it in North Dakota, ranking #37 among the 116 flowers on our North Dakota list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (998 records)

Bloom time in the 3 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Colorado	Native	May–July	1,806
South Dakota	Native	few records (25)	272
North Dakota	Native	few records (37)	172

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Colorado: No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Colorado.
South Dakota: No list South Dakota's endangered and threatened list (ARSD 41:10:02) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's South Dakota ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Dakota.
North Dakota: No list North Dakota has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's North Dakota ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in North Dakota.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: AK (S2), DC (SH), MD (SH), MO (S1), OH (S1), VA (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records American vetch in 32 states plus Washington, D.C.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming; District of Columbia.

Colorado counties with USDA records: Adams, Alamosa, Arapahoe, Archuleta, Boulder, Cheyenne, Conejos, Custer, Delta, Denver, Dolores, Douglas, Eagle, El Paso, Elbert, Garfield, Grand, Gunnison, Huerfano, Jackson, Jefferson, Kiowa, Kit Carson, La Plata, Larimer, Las Animas, Lincoln, Logan, Mesa, Mineral, Montezuma, Montrose, Otero, Park, Pitkin, Pueblo, Rio Blanco, Rio Grande, Routt, Saguache, San Juan, San Miguel, Sedgwick, Summit, Teller, Weld.

South Dakota counties with USDA records: Aurora, Bennett, Brown, Butte, Charles Mix, Clay, Codington, Corson, Custer, Davison, Dewey, Douglas, Fall River, Gregory, Hamlin, Harding, Hutchinson, Jackson, Lawrence, Lincoln, Lyman, Marshall, McCook, Meade, Mellette, Pennington, Roberts, Stanley, Todd, Union, Walworth, Yankton, Ziebach.

North Dakota counties with USDA records: Adams, Barnes, Benson, Billings, Bottineau, Bowman, Burke, Burleigh, Cass, Cavalier, Dickey, Divide, Dunn, Eddy, Emmons, Golden Valley, Grand Forks, Grant, Griggs, Hettinger, Kidder, LaMoure, McIntosh, McKenzie, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Mountrail, Oliver, Pembina, Ramsey, Ransom, Renville, Richland, Rolette, Sargent, Sheridan, Sioux, Slope, Stark, Steele, Stutsman, Ward, Williams.

Growing conditions

USDA PLANTS gives American vetch a high shade tolerance, high drought tolerance and low moisture use. It is rated for soil pH 5.9 to 7.2 and winter lows down to -38 °F.

Shade tolerance: High
Drought tolerance: High
Moisture use: Low
Soil textures it is adapted to: coarse, medium
Soil pH range: 5.9 to 7.2
Minimum temperature tolerated: -38 °F
Frost-free days needed (minimum): 120
Annual precipitation range: 9 to 50 inches
Minimum root depth: 10 inches
Salinity tolerance: None
Fertility requirement: High
Growth rate: Moderate
Lifespan: Moderate
Active growth period: Spring and Summer
Fruit or seed: Brown · Summer to Fall
Can be propagated by: seed
Commercial availability: No Known Source

From the USDA PLANTS characteristics data for VIAM. USDA ratings are general guidance for the species, not a guarantee for your garden.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Alaska: Native; Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 865 counties across 33 states; the most are in Minnesota (86), Wisconsin (67), Montana (54).

Other Vicia on Bloomipedia (4): Common vetch, Hairy vetch, Tufted vetch, Slender vetch.

More from the Fabaceae family (114 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Lupines, White clover, Red clover, Eastern redbud, Purple crownvetch, Bird's-foot trefoil, Partridge pea, White sweetclover.

More Colorado flowers

Lambert's locoweed

Oxytropis lambertii

Native

🌼 Blooms in CO: May–July

Yellow sweetclover

Melilotus officinalis

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in CO: May–August

Red clover

Trifolium pratense

★ VT state flowerIntroduced

🌼 Blooms in CO: June–September

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile VIAM.
iNaturalist, Vicia americana: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Vicia americana (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Colorado: Colorado noxious weed lists A, B and C (8 CCR 1206-2, eff. May 15, 2025).
South Dakota: South Dakota statewide noxious weeds (ARSD 12:62:03:01.06).
North Dakota: North Dakota state noxious weeds (N.D. Admin. Code 7-06-01-02), as listed by the ND Department of Agriculture.
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Vicia americana (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: miel00 via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.