Native Plants
Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.
Vicia floridana
Vicia floridana S. Watson
Florida Vetch
Fabaceae (Pea Family)
Synonym(s):
USDA Symbol: VIFL2
USDA Native Status: L48 (N)
Florida Vetch is a member of the pea family (Fabaceae), which includes trees, shrubs, herbs, and vines with compound or occasionally simple leaves and flowers usually in clusters. Taken as a single family, there are about 640 genera and 17,000 species. This enormous family, also known as the bean or legume family, includes many economically important genera: Peas belong to the genus Pisium; beans to Phaseolus; soybeans to Glycine; peanuts to Arachis; lentils to Lens; and chickpeas (garbanzos) to Cicer. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and clover species (Trifolium) provide forage for domestic livestock, but many other species are poisonous range weeds. Exotic hardwoods and gum arabic are provided by tropical trees belonging to this family, and numerous members are cultivated as handsome ornamentals. The traditional family name, Leguminosae, reflects some of the family’s importance (in Latin it refers to “plants with seedpods,” and in French légume means “vegetable”). The family is sometimes split into three smaller families, each distinguished by one of the three flower types: the Fabaceae, Mimosaceae, and Caesalpiniaceae. The fruit, an important feature, is similar in all three.
From the Image Gallery
No images of this plant
Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: Vine
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Fruit Type: Legume
Size Notes: Stems sprawling or climbing, up to 6 feet, or more, long.
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: White , Purple , VioletBloom Time: Feb , Mar , Apr , May
Bloom Notes: Pale lavender to violet to white.
Distribution
USA: FL , GANational Wetland Indicator Status
Region: | AGCP | AK | AW | CB | EMP | GP | HI | MW | NCNE | WMVE |
Status: | FACW |
Web Reference
Webref 57 - Atlas of Florida Plants (2020) Institute for Systematic BotanyWebref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter
Additional resources
USDA: Find Vicia floridana in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Vicia floridana in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Vicia floridana
Metadata
Record Modified: 2023-01-02Research By: TWC Staff