Flower profile
Hairy vetch
Vicia villosa
Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) is a vine in the Fabaceae family, introduced in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–June across the U.S.
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 April–June.
*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.
- 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–May. 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 178 flowers on our California list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 448 research-grade sightings of it in Oklahoma, ranking #81 among the 159 flowers on our Oklahoma list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 208 research-grade sightings of it in Nebraska, ranking #74 among the 147 flowers on our Nebraska list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
Bloom time in the 3 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
| State | Type | Peak bloom | Sightings* |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Introduced | March–May | 11,748 |
| Oklahoma | Introduced | few records (18) | 448 |
| Nebraska | Introduced | few records (16) | 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?
USDA PLANTS rates its toxicity as “slight.” (USDA's rating covers people and livestock and doesn't say which parts.) USDA PLANTS
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.
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.
Growing conditions
USDA PLANTS gives Hairy vetch a high shade tolerance, medium drought tolerance and medium moisture use. It is rated for soil pH 6.0 to 7.5 and winter lows down to -30 °F.
- Shade tolerance
- High
- Drought tolerance
- Medium
- Moisture use
- Medium
- Soil textures it is adapted to
- coarse, medium, fine
- Soil pH range
- 6.0 to 7.5
- Minimum temperature tolerated
- -30 °F
- Frost-free days needed (minimum)
- 100
- Annual precipitation range
- 18 to 65 inches
- Minimum root depth
- 6 inches
- Salinity tolerance
- Low
- Fertility requirement
- Medium
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Lifespan
- Short
- Active growth period
- Fall, Winter and Spring
- Fruit or seed
- Brown · Spring to Spring
- Can be propagated by
- seed
- Commercial availability
- Routinely Available
From the USDA PLANTS characteristics data for VIVI. 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: Introduced; Canada: Introduced; Hawaii: Introduced; Lower 48 states: Introduced.
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 1242 counties across 49 states; the most are in North Carolina (84), Virginia (76), Michigan (74).
Other Vicia on Bloomipedia (4): Common vetch, Tufted vetch, American 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 California flowers
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.