Flower profile

Hairy vetch

Vicia villosa

Introduced in the lower 48

Hairy vetch is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as introduced 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 March–July.

50states

3of our state lists

29,902U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: California, Nebraska, Oklahoma

Quick look

Vicia villosa, known as the hairy vetch, fodder vetch or winter vetch, is a plant native to some of Europe and western Asia. It is a legume, grown as a forage crop, fodder crop, cover crop, and green manure.
From Wikipedia's article Vicia villosa, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Fabaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a vine with a annual, biennial, perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 50 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as not native to California, Oklahoma and Nebraska. ^NatureServe
In California, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–June. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as purple. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as early spring. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 1.5 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 11,748 research-grade sightings of it in California, ranking #75 among the 110 flowers on our California list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 448 research-grade sightings of it in Oklahoma, ranking #81 among the 110 flowers on our Oklahoma list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 208 research-grade sightings of it in Nebraska, ranking #74 among the 108 flowers on our Nebraska list. ^iNaturalist

Hairy vetch gift ideas

Handmade hairy vetch gifts from independent makers.

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (3,373 records)

Bloom time in each of our 3 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
California	Introduced	March–June	11,748
Oklahoma	Introduced	few records	448
Nebraska	Introduced	few records	208

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
California: Not listed Not on California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in California. ^{CNDDB listed plants (July 2026)}
Oklahoma: No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Oklahoma.
Nebraska: Not listed Not on Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Nebraska. ^{163 NAC 4-004}
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

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

Can you eat it?

For peopleToxic (slight, per USDA)

USDA PLANTS rates its toxicity as “slight.” (USDA's rating covers people and livestock and doesn't say which parts.) ^{USDA PLANTS}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 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 hairy vetch in 50 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming; District of Columbia.

California counties with USDA records: Alameda, Amador, Butte, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Kern, Lassen, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mendocino, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Plumas, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yolo.

Oklahoma counties with USDA records: Alfalfa, Blaine, Bryan, Caddo, Canadian, Carter, Choctaw, Cleveland, Custer, Garfield, Grady, Grant, Jefferson, Kay, Kingfisher, Le Flore, Marshall, McClain, Murray, Muskogee, Oklahoma, Osage, Payne, Pittsburg, Sequoyah, Washington, Woods, Woodward.

Nebraska counties with USDA records: Antelope, Blaine, Boone, Brown, Buffalo, Burt, Cherry, Colfax, Cuming, Custer, Dodge, Dundy, Franklin, Frontier, Gage, Garfield, Holt, Hooker, Howard, Jefferson, Johnson, Lancaster, Lincoln, Logan, McPherson, Nuckolls, Otoe, Perkins, Pierce, Platte, Richardson, Saline, Sarpy, Sheridan, Stanton, Webster.

More California flowers

White clover

Trifolium repens

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in CA: February–June

Red clover

Trifolium pratense

★ VT state flowerIntroduced

🌼 Blooms: May–October

Eastern redbud

Cercis canadensis

Native

🌼 Blooms: February–May

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile VIVI.
iNaturalist, Vicia villosa: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Vicia villosa (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
California: California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026).
California: California noxious weed species (3 CCR § 4500).
Oklahoma: Oklahoma Noxious Weed Law (2 O.S. § 3-220).
Nebraska: Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004).
Nebraska: Nebraska noxious weeds (25 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 10, § 001.02).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Vicia villosa (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: USDA PLANTS.
Photo: Jay Pruett via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.