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Bush Vetch

©John M Haddon

Bush vetch

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Scientific name: Vicia sepium
A scrambling plant, Bush vetch has lilac-blue flowers. It is a member of the pea family and can be seen along woodland edges and roadside verges, and on scrubland and grassland.

Top facts

Stats

Height: up to 1m

Conservation status

Common.

When to see

April to November

About

Bush vetch is a member of the pea and clover family (legumes). It can be found scrambling through many different habitats, including woodland edges, rough grassland, roadside verges and scrubland. Lilac flowers appear between April and November attracting bumblebees and Honeybees. Weevils, beetles and caterpillars also feed on Bush vetch.

What to look for

Bush vetch is a scrambling plant, with ladder-like leaves that are arranged in pairs on either side of the stem; branched tendrils used for climbing and grasping often spiral from the ends. It displays small groups of two to six pale lilac-blue flowers, and its seed pods are black and hairless and look like peapods.

Where to find

Widespread.

Habitats

Did you know?

The disappearance of many of our wildflowers from the countryside has had a major impact on our bumblebees - two species are already nationally extinct and many others are in serious trouble. But you can help bumblebees by planting nectar-rich flowers, including Bush vetch, in your own garden.