Vicia nigricans var. gigantea
giant vetch
Fabaceae (Pea family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
giant vetch
Fabaceae (Pea family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Photograph
Map
Distribution of Vicia nigricans var. gigantea
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend
Species Information
General:
Somewhat succulent, perennial herb from a rhizome; stems ascending or climbing, 0.5-2 m long, hollow, strongly angled, 3-7 mm wide, sparsely hairy to nearly glabrous.
Leaves:
Alternate, pinnately compound; leaflets 16 to 26, lanceolate to oblong, blunt or narrowed abruptly to a tiny point, 2-6 cm long; tendrils well developed, grasping; stipules broad, sharply toothed, about 1/2 the length of the leaflets.
Flowers:
Inflorescence an axillary, long-stalked, dense, one-sided raceme of 7 to 20 pea-like flowers; corollas yellowish to reddish-purple, 12-18 mm long; calyces 1/2 the length of the corollas, the upper teeth to merely 1 mm long, the lowest one nearly as long as the tube.
Fruits:
Pods, 3-5 cm long, oblong, glabrous, blackened when dry; seeds several, black.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Vicia nigricans var. gigantea
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
34 | 0 | 298 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
23 | 0 | 75 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
222 | 180 | 359 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
3 | 1 | 6 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
10 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
CWH | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
CWH(10) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Moist to mesic upper beaches, streambanks, meadows, clearings, thickets, forest edges and openings in the lowland zone; common in coastal BC; N to AK and S to CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Vicia nigricans Hook. & Arn.