Flower profile

Boreal sweet-vetch

Hedysarum boreale

Boreal sweet-vetch (Hedysarum boreale) is a flowering plant in the Fabaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–July across the U.S.

Native to Utah

Boreal sweet-vetch is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Utah it's most often seen in bloom in April–July.

15states where USDA records it

888UT sightings*

1,964U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Utah

Quick look

Hedysarum boreale is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, or legume family, and is known by the common names Utah sweetvetch, boreal sweet-vetch, northern sweetvetch, and plains sweet-broom. It is native to North America, where it is widespread in northern and western regions of Canada and the United States. The ssp. mackenzii can even be found in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
From Wikipedia's article Hedysarum boreale, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Fabaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 15 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Utah. ^NatureServe
In Utah, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–July. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as red. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as late spring. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 2 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 888 research-grade sightings of it in Utah, ranking #65 among the 153 flowers on our Utah list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

In Utah, most flowering sightings come in April–July.

Flowering records by month in Utah (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (88 records)

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
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Utah.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: NV (S2), TX (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 boreal sweet-vetch in 15 states.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.

Utah counties with USDA records: Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber.

Growing conditions

USDA PLANTS gives Boreal sweet-vetch a high shade tolerance, high drought tolerance and low moisture use. It is rated for soil pH 5.2 to 8.0 and winter lows down to -33 °F.

Shade tolerance: High
Drought tolerance: High
Moisture use: Low
Soil textures it is adapted to: coarse, medium, fine
Soil pH range: 5.2 to 8.0
Minimum temperature tolerated: -33 °F
Frost-free days needed (minimum): 120
Annual precipitation range: 12 to 18 inches
Minimum root depth: 16 inches
Salinity tolerance: Low
Fertility requirement: Low
Growth rate: Moderate
Lifespan: Long
Active growth period: Spring and Summer
Fruit or seed: Brown · Spring to Summer
Can be propagated by: seed
Commercial availability: Field Collections Only

From the USDA PLANTS characteristics data for HEBO. 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 153 counties across 14 states; the most are in Montana (25), Utah (25), Colorado (18).

Other Hedysarum on Bloomipedia (1): Alpine sweet-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 Utah flowers

Yellow sweetclover

Melilotus officinalis

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in UT: May–September

Utah milkvetch

Astragalus utahensis

Native

🌼 Blooms in UT: April–May

Woolly locoweed

Astragalus mollissimus

Native

🌼 Blooms in UT: March–May

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile HEBO.
iNaturalist, Hedysarum boreale: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Hedysarum boreale (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Utah: Utah noxious weed list (Utah Admin. Code R68-9-3).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Hedysarum boreale (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Joey Bom via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.