Flower profile
Slender vetch
Vicia ludoviciana
Slender vetch (Vicia ludoviciana) is a vine in the Fabaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly February–April across the U.S.
Slender vetch is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in February–April.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
Quick look
Vicia ludoviciana, also known by its common name slender vetch is a species from the genus Vicia.
- It belongs to the Fabaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a vine with a annual life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 17 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Texas and Louisiana. NatureServe
- In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in February–April. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 7,005 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #95 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 621 research-grade sightings of it in Louisiana, ranking #52 among the 154 flowers on our Louisiana list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
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
- Texas
- Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. 31 TAC 69.8
- Louisiana
- No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Louisiana.
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: NV (S2). (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?
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.
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 slender vetch in 17 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah.
Texas counties with USDA records: Anderson, Andrews, Angelina, Aransas, Archer, Armstrong, Atascosa, Austin, Bandera, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Bosque, Brazoria, Brazos, Brewster, Briscoe, Brooks, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Calhoun, Callahan, Cameron, Carson, Chambers, Cherokee, Clay, Coke, Coleman, Collin, Colorado, Comal, Comanche, Concho, Cooke, Coryell, Crockett, Culberson, Dallas, DeWitt, Denton, Dickens, Dimmit, Duval, Eastland, Ector, Edwards, El Paso, Ellis, Erath, Falls, Fayette, Fort Bend, Freestone, Frio, Galveston, Garza, Gillespie, Goliad, Gonzales, Gray, Grayson, Gregg, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hale, Hall, Hamilton, Hardin, Harris, Hays, Henderson, Hidalgo, Hill, Hood, Houston, Hudspeth, Hunt, Jackson, Jasper, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Johnson, Jones, Karnes, Kaufman, Kendall, Kenedy, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, Kleberg, La Salle, Lampasas, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Liberty, Limestone, Live Oak, Llano, Lubbock, Madison, Mason, Matagorda, Maverick, McLennan, McMullen, Medina, Menard, Milam, Mitchell, Montgomery, Navarro, Newton, Nolan, Nueces, Ochiltree, Orange, Palo Pinto, Parker, Pecos, Polk, Presidio, Randall, Reagan, Real, Reeves, Refugio, Roberts, Robertson, Rockwall, Rusk, San Jacinto, San Patricio, San Saba, Scurry, Shackelford, Smith, Somervell, Sutton, Swisher, Tarrant, Taylor, Terrell, Titus, Tom Green, Travis, Trinity, Tyler, Uvalde, Val Verde, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Washington, Webb, Wharton, Wichita, Wilbarger, Willacy, Williamson, Wilson, Wise.
Louisiana counties with USDA records: Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, Cameron, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Orleans, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Red River, Richland, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Tensas, Terrebonne, Vermilion, Vernon, Washington, West Baton Rouge, West Carroll, West Feliciana, Winn.
Names, range and relatives
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 328 counties across 16 states; the most are in Texas (171), Louisiana (49), Oklahoma (30).
Other Vicia on Bloomipedia (4): Common vetch, Hairy vetch, Tufted vetch, American 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 Texas flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile VILU.
- iNaturalist, Vicia ludoviciana: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Vicia ludoviciana (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Texas: Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
- Texas: Texas noxious and invasive plant list (4 Tex. Admin. Code § 19.300(a)).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Vicia ludoviciana (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Daughter Dad via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.