250 Species of Genus Vicia

My Fascination with Vetches (Vicia)

As a botanist, I’ve always been drawn to the Fabaceae family, a diverse group of flowering plants that includes beans, peas, and lentils. But within this vast family, it’s the genus Vicia, commonly known as vetches, that truly captivates me. These climbing or trailing plants, with their delicate tendrils and vibrant flowers, are a testament to nature’s ingenuity and beauty.

Vicia are found across the globe, thriving in a variety of habitats from temperate grasslands to subtropical mountains. Their adaptability is a testament to their resilience and evolutionary success. What truly sets them apart, however, is their ability to form symbiotic relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil. This unique partnership allows vetches to enrich the soil, making them valuable allies in sustainable agriculture and ecological restoration.

A Diverse Genus

The genus Vicia boasts over 250 recognized species, each with its own unique characteristics and ecological niche:

  1. Vicia abbreviata Fisch. ex Spreng.
  2. Vicia acutifolia Elliott
  3. Vicia afghanica Chrtková
  4. Vicia aintabensis Boiss. & Hausskn.
  5. Vicia aktoensis Y.H.Wu
  6. Vicia alpestris Steven
  7. Vicia altissima Desf.
  8. Vicia americana Muhl. ex Willd.
  9. Vicia amoena Fisch. ex Ser.
  10. Vicia amurensis Oett.
  11. Vicia anatolica Turrill
  12. Vicia andicola Kunth
  13. Vicia andina Phil.
  14. Vicia anguste-pinnata Nakai
  15. Vicia aphylla C.Sm. ex Link
  16. Vicia araucana Phil.
  17. Vicia argaea (P.H.Davis) Greuter
  18. Vicia argentea Lapeyr.
  19. Vicia armena Boiss.
  20. Vicia articulata Hornem.
  21. Vicia assyriaca Boiss.
  22. Vicia aucheri Jaub. & Spach
  23. Vicia bakeri Ali
  24. Vicia balansae Boiss.
  25. Vicia basaltica Plitmann
  26. Vicia benghalensis L.
  27. Vicia benthamiana Ali
  28. Vicia berteroana Phil.
  29. Vicia biebersteinii Besser ex M.Bieb.
  30. Vicia biennis L.
  31. Vicia bifolia Nakai
  32. Vicia bifoliolata J.J.Rodr.
  33. Vicia bijuga Gillies ex Hook. & Arn.
  34. Vicia bithynica (L.) L.
  35. Vicia brulloi Sciandr., Giusso, Salmeri & Miniss.
  36. Vicia bungei Ohwi
  37. Vicia caesarea Boiss. & Balansa
  38. Vicia canescens Labill.
  39. Vicia cappadocica Boiss.
  40. Vicia capreolata Lowe
  41. Vicia caroliniana Walter
  42. Vicia cassia Boiss.
  43. Vicia cassubica L.
  44. Vicia caucasica Ekutim.
  45. Vicia cedretorum Font Quer
  46. Vicia chaetocalyx Webb & Berthel.
  47. Vicia chianschanensis (P.Y.Fu & Y.A.Chen) Z.D.Xia
  48. Vicia chinensis Franch.
  49. Vicia chosenensis Ohwi
  50. Vicia ciceroidea Boiss.
  51. Vicia ciliatula Lipsky
  52. Vicia coquimbensis Martic.
  53. Vicia costae A.Hansen
  54. Vicia costata Ledeb.
  55. Vicia cracca L.
  56. Vicia cretica Boiss. & Heldr.
  57. Vicia crocea (Desf.) B.Fedtsch.
  58. Vicia cusnae Foggi & Ricceri
  59. Vicia cuspidata Boiss.
  60. Vicia cypria Kotschy
  61. Vicia dadianorum Sommier & Levier
  62. Vicia dalmatica A.Kern.
  63. Vicia davisii Greuter
  64. Vicia dennesiana H.C.Watson
  65. Vicia dichroantha Diels
  66. Vicia dionysiensis Mouterde
  67. Vicia disperma DC.
  68. Vicia dumetorum L.
  69. Vicia epetiolaris Burkart
  70. Vicia eriocarpa (Hausskn.) Halácsy
  71. Vicia eristalioides Maxted
  72. Vicia ervilia (L.) Willd.
  73. Vicia erzurumica N.DemirkuÈ™ & S.Erik
  74. Vicia esdraelonensis Warb. & Eig
  75. Vicia faba L.
  76. Vicia fairchildiana Maire
  77. Vicia fauriei Franch.
  78. Vicia fedtschenkoana V.A.Nikitin
  79. Vicia ferreirensis Goyder
  80. Vicia filicaulis Webb & Berthel.
  81. Vicia floridana S.Watson
  82. Vicia freyniana Bornm.
  83. Vicia fulgens Batt.
  84. Vicia galeata Boiss.
  85. Vicia galilaea Plitmann & Zohary
  86. Vicia garinensis Dehshiri
  87. Vicia geminiflora Trautv.
  88. Vicia giacominiana Segelb.
  89. Vicia glareosa P.H.Davis
  90. Vicia glauca C.Presl
  91. Vicia gracilior (Popov) Popov
  92. Vicia graminea Sm.
  93. Vicia grandiflora Scop.
  94. Vicia × guyotii Beauverd
  95. Vicia hassei S.Watson
  96. Vicia hatschbachii Burkart ex Vanni & D.B.Kurtz
  97. Vicia hirsuta (L.) Gray
  98. Vicia hololasia Woronow
  99. Vicia hulensis Plitmann
  100. Vicia humilis Kunth
  101. Vicia hyaeniscyamus Mouterde
  102. Vicia hybrida L.
  103. Vicia hyrcanica Fisch. & C.A.Mey.
  104. Vicia iberica Grossh.
  105. Vicia incana Gouan
  106. Vicia inconspicua Phil.
  107. Vicia iranica Boiss.
  108. Vicia janeae Mardal.
  109. Vicia japonica A.Gray
  110. Vicia johannis Tamamsch.
  111. Vicia jordanovii Velchev
  112. Vicia kalakhensis Khattab, Maxted & F.A.Bisby
  113. Vicia khokhriakovii Vorosch.
  114. Vicia kioshanica L.H.Bailey
  115. Vicia koeieana Rech.f.
  116. Vicia kokanica Regel & Schmalh.
  117. Vicia kotschyana Boiss.
  118. Vicia kulingana L.H.Bailey
  119. Vicia kurdica Jalilian
  120. Vicia laeta Ces.
  121. Vicia lanceolata Phil.
  122. Vicia larissae Prima
  123. Vicia lathyroides L.
  124. Vicia latibracteolata K.T.Fu
  125. Vicia lecomtei Humbert & Maire
  126. Vicia lens (L.) Coss. & Germ.
  127. Vicia lenticula (Hoppe) Janka
  128. Vicia lentoides (Ten.) Coss. & Germ.
  129. Vicia leucantha Biv.
  130. Vicia leucomalla Bornm.
  131. Vicia leucophaea Greene
  132. Vicia lilacina Ledeb.
  133. Vicia linearifolia Hook. & Arn.
  134. Vicia loiseleurii (M.Bieb.) Litv.
  135. Vicia lomensis J.F.Macbr.
  136. Vicia ludoviciana Nutt.
  137. Vicia lunata (Boiss. & Balansa) Boiss.
  138. Vicia lutea L.
  139. Vicia macrantha Jurtzev
  140. Vicia macrograminea Burkart
  141. Vicia magellanica Hook.f.
  142. Vicia megalotropis Ledeb.
  143. Vicia melanops Sm.
  144. Vicia menziesii Spreng.
  145. Vicia michauxii Biehler
  146. Vicia micrantha Lowe
  147. Vicia mingyueshanensis Z.Y.Xiao & X.C.Li
  148. Vicia minutiflora D.Dietr.
  149. Vicia modesta Phil.
  150. Vicia mollis Boiss. & Hausskn.
  151. Vicia monantha Retz.
  152. Vicia monardii Boiss. & Reut.
  153. Vicia montbretii Fisch. & C.A.Mey.
  154. Vicia montenegrina Rohlena
  155. Vicia montevidensis Vogel
  156. Vicia mucronata Clos
  157. Vicia mulleriana B.L.Turner
  158. Vicia multicaulis Ledeb.
  159. Vicia multijuga (Boiss.) Rech.f.
  160. Vicia murbeckii Maire
  161. Vicia nana Vogel
  162. Vicia narbonensis L.
  163. Vicia nataliae U.Reifenb. & A.Reifenb.
  164. Vicia nigricans Hook. & Arn.
  165. Vicia nipponica Matsum.
  166. Vicia noeana Boiss. & Reut.
  167. Vicia nummularia Hand.-Mazz.
  168. Vicia ocalensis R.K.Godfrey & Kral
  169. Vicia ochroleuca Ten.
  170. Vicia ohwiana Hosok.
  171. Vicia olchonensis (Peschkova) O.D.Nikif.
  172. Vicia onobrychioides L.
  173. Vicia orientalis (Boiss.) Bég. & Diratz.
  174. Vicia oroboides Wulfen
  175. Vicia orobus DC.
  176. Vicia palaestina Boiss.
  177. Vicia pallida Hook. & Arn.
  178. Vicia pampicola Burkart
  179. Vicia pannonica Crantz
  180. Vicia parviflora Cav.
  181. Vicia parvula Ziel.
  182. Vicia paucifolia Baker
  183. Vicia pectinata Lowe
  184. Vicia peregrina L.
  185. Vicia perelegans K.T.Fu
  186. Vicia peruviana Vilchez
  187. Vicia pinetorum Boiss. & Spruner
  188. Vicia pisiformis L.
  189. Vicia platensis Speg.
  190. Vicia popovii O.D.Nikif.
  191. Vicia pseudo-orobus Fisch. & C.A.Mey.
  192. Vicia pseudocassubica Rech.f.
  193. Vicia pubescens (DC.) Link
  194. Vicia pulchella Kunth
  195. Vicia pyrenaica Pourr.
  196. Vicia qatmensis Gomb.
  197. Vicia quadrijuga P.H.Davis
  198. Vicia ramosissima Franch.
  199. Vicia ramuliflora (Maxim.) Ohwi
  200. Vicia raynaudii Coulot & Dobignard
  201. Vicia rigidula Royle
  202. Vicia sabinarum J.Gil
  203. Vicia sativa L.
  204. Vicia scandens R.P.Murray
  205. Vicia semenovii (Regel & Herder) B.Fedtsch.
  206. Vicia semiglabra Rupr. ex Boiss.
  207. Vicia sepium L.
  208. Vicia sericocarpa Fenzl
  209. Vicia serratifolia Jacq.
  210. Vicia sessei G.Don
  211. Vicia sessiliflora Clos
  212. Vicia setifolia Kunth
  213. Vicia sibthorpii Boiss.
  214. Vicia sicula (Raf.) Guss.
  215. Vicia sinaica Boulos
  216. Vicia singarensis Boiss. & Hausskn.
  217. Vicia sosnowskyi Ekutim.
  218. Vicia sparsiflora Ten.
  219. Vicia splendens P.H.Davis
  220. Vicia stenophylla Vogel
  221. Vicia subrotunda (Maxim.) Czefr.
  222. Vicia subserrata Phil.
  223. Vicia subvillosa (Ledeb.) Boiss.
  224. Vicia sylvatica L.
  225. Vicia taipaica K.T.Fu
  226. Vicia tenera Benth.
  227. Vicia tenoi Marrero Rodr.
  228. Vicia tenuifolia Roth
  229. Vicia tenuissima (M.Bieb.) Schinz & Thell.
  230. Vicia tephrosioides Vogel
  231. Vicia ternata Z.D.Xia
  232. Vicia tetrantha H.W.Kung
  233. Vicia tetrasperma (L.) Schreb.
  234. Vicia tibetica Prain ex C.E.C.Fisch.
  235. Vicia tigridis Mouterde
  236. Vicia × tikeliana Starm.
  237. Vicia tsydenii Malyschev
  238. Vicia unijuga A.Braun
  239. Vicia uralensis Knjaz., Kulikov & E.G.Philippov
  240. Vicia variegata Willd.
  241. Vicia venosa (Willd. ex Link) Maxim.
  242. Vicia venulosa Boiss. & Hohen.
  243. Vicia vicina Clos
  244. Vicia vicioides (Desf.) Cout.
  245. Vicia villosa Roth
  246. Vicia voggenreiteriana J.Gil, R.Mesa & M.L.Gil
  247. Vicia vulcanorum J.Gil & M.L.Gil
  248. Vicia woroschilovii N.S.Pavlova
  249. Vicia wushanica Z.D.Xia
  250. Vicia × zabelii Asch. & Graebn.

The Importance of Vetches

Beyond their ecological significance, vetches also hold immense economic and cultural value. For centuries, they have been cultivated as a source of food, fodder, and green manure. Their ability to improve soil fertility and suppress weeds has made them indispensable in sustainable agriculture practices.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the potential of vetches for phytoremediation, a process that uses plants to remove pollutants from the environment. Some Vicia species have shown promise in absorbing heavy metals from contaminated soils, offering a natural and sustainable solution for environmental cleanup.

My Ongoing Research

My current research focuses on the genetic diversity of Vicia species and their potential for adaptation to climate change. By understanding the genetic makeup of these plants, we can identify traits that confer resilience to drought, heat, and other environmental stressors. This knowledge can then be used to develop new varieties that are better equipped to thrive in a changing climate.

I am also exploring the use of vetches in intercropping systems, where they are grown alongside other crops to enhance productivity and reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Preliminary results suggest that intercropping with vetches can improve yields of companion crops while also enhancing soil health and biodiversity.

Looking Ahead

The genus Vicia holds immense promise for sustainable agriculture, ecological restoration, and even environmental remediation. As we continue to face challenges such as climate change and food security, these versatile plants offer valuable solutions. I am excited to continue my research and contribute to a deeper understanding of this fascinating genus, ensuring that vetches continue to play a vital role in our world for generations to come.

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