Vicia americana
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Vicia americana |
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| Mill. ex Willd. |
Vicia americana is a species of plant in the subfamily of the butterflies (Faboideae). It is one of the most common legumes in North America. Due to the shape of the fruit, it is called Tasúsu in Lakota, which literally means "buffalo testicles ".
description
Vicia americana is a perennial , herbaceous plant . It forms both tap roots and rhizomes . It has tendrils on the leaves. In thicket-like plant communities, for example in the chaparral , it grows climbing, crawling in the prairie . It is similar to the European fence vetch ( Vicia sepium ) and has a sprawling, bald or slightly hairy stem that can reach a length of 15 to 60 centimeters, depending on the location. The leaves are pinnate in pairs , with 8 to 18 elongated-oval leaflets being formed, which are often pointed awn-like . The color of the leaflets is strong green. The tendrils are feathers at the ends of the leaves and remain relatively inconspicuous in creeping plants. In arid regions, the pinna remain poorly narrow, more linear-lanceolate, and the reduction in leaf area makes them more drought-resistant .
The zygomorphic flowers are typical butterfly flowers . The flower and especially the flag are strikingly bright pink to light purple in color, the wings are mostly whitish and lightened and cover the darker boat. The whole flower is seldom colored white, sometimes also bluish or lavender colored. The flowering period extends from May to June.
The hairless, bean-like, about 3 centimeters long legume opens lengthways when ripe and usually contains two seeds. The pea-like seed is light brown.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 14.
ecology
Like other legumes, it lives in symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing nodule bacteria that settle in the root system, thereby helping to improve the soil. Because of its high protein content, it is an important fodder crop that is grazed by wild and domesticated ungulates. However, the population declines in the event of overgrazing.
Distribution and location requirements
Vicia americana is widespread in North America. Its range extends from central Alaska to the east through Canada to southern Ontario , south to southern Virginia , and west through the Great Plains to California , Oregon and Washington . It is particularly common in the foothills of western North America. In the Great Plains it is more common in the wetter north than in the drier south.
This vetch species thrives on both moist and dry soils and colonizes wooded habitats as well as open grasslands. It is a pioneer plant on burned land and wasteland. It thrives on sandy and clayey, both acidic and somewhat basic or salty soils.
Systematics
The species Vicia americana belongs to the section Americanae from the subgenus Vicilla in the genus of the vetch ( Vicia ). In addition to the nominate form , a subspecies Vicia americana subsp. linearis differentiated.
proof
literature
- James R. Johnson, Gary E. Larson: Grassland Plants of South Dakota and the Northern Great Plains , Brookings, SD 1999, ISBN 0-913062-06-5
- Rebecca Netzel: Animal Nation and Plant Nation, A Fieldguide for Lakóta Children and for all those adults who still care about Creation . Trier 2007, ISBN 978-3-88476-945-4
- Theodore Van Bruggen: Wildflowers, Grasses and Other Plants of the Northern Plains and Black Hills . Rapid City, 5th ed. 2003, ISBN 0-912410-05-1
- Frank D. Venning: A Guide to Field Identification - Wildflowers of North America , New York / Racine, Wisconsin 1984
Individual evidence
- ↑ Vicia americana at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
- ↑ a b Milo Coladonato: Vicia americana. US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, 1993, accessed January 9, 2010 .
- ↑ Vicia americana. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), accessed January 9, 2010 .
