The Urban Pantheist

Photo by cottonmanifesto. Location: Willams Street (between Washington Street and Franklin Park), Jamaica Plain.

Urban species #170: Vetch Vicia sp.

Vetch is a climbing legume whose terminal tendrils bear sprays of lovely blue-violet flowers. It is grown as a "green manure" in Europe, enriching the soil as all legumes do, in places where clover will not take. Considering the ubiquity of clover, this says a lot about the hardiness of vetch. They are considered the best soil-enriching crop for acid soils.

Several species of vetch were introduced to North America for this purpose, and they are considered invasive in some states. Vetch seeds are sometimes used for livestock fodder, but are toxic to humans. Fava beans come from a vetch (Vicia faba), and people who have a certain genetic condition can be struck with "favism" from eating them, and can get sick from inhaling vetch pollen.

Vetches are encountered in the city crawling atop hedges and shrubs along fence lines. They are favorite flowers for honeybees to visit, and agriculturalists will use bees and vetches together to increase productivity of both species.