← Browse All Wildflowers / American Vetch
VIS-ee-uh a-mer-ih-KAY-na · pronunciation guide [4]
Purple pea-shaped flowers, paired leaflets, and curling tendrils: a native climber with plenty to discover.
DSCN3612 · A close look at the purple pea-shaped flowers. Tap the photo to enlarge.
Other common names
American Purple Vetch · American Deervetch · Purple Vetch · Stiff-leaf Vetch · Wild Vetch · Wild Pea.
It grows across varied habitats, from moist clearings to dry grasslands. [3]
Open the range map to explore photographed sightings and their locations.
01 · Pea-shaped flowers
Loose clusters of purple, pink, or blue flowers rise from the leaf axils.
02 · Leaves with tendrils
Compound leaves carry 4–8 pairs of leaflets and end in a tendril.
03 · Toothed stipules
Look at the small leafy appendages where the leaf stalk meets the stem: their lower edge has sharp teeth. [1]
Search sunny or partly shaded prairies, fields, and open woods. Flowering time shifts with location and weather. [1]
Photograph the flowers, a whole leaf, its tendril, and the leaf base to capture several clues together.
The tendrils can grasp surrounding vegetation, helping a slender plant climb through its neighbors. Some forms have shorter, less grasping tendrils. [2]
American Vetch fixes nitrogen and can help restore disturbed ground. Beneath the flowers, its roots and creeping rhizomes support a perennial life. [3]
Explore 15 field photographs, including 11 newly added views of flowers, leaves, climbing stems, and habitat. Select any photo to enlarge it.
Many introduced vetches have denser, more crowded flower clusters. Compare leaves, stipules, and flower arrangement together.
Crown Vetch has rounded clusters and no terminal leaf tendril. American Vetch has looser clusters and leaves ending in tendrils. [1]
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PNG clipart · Existing design
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PNG clipart · Existing design
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American Vetch is native across much of North America, from Alaska and Canada through large parts of the United States. [3]
Open the observation map to explore photographed sightings.
Observations show reported sightings; they do not define the plant’s complete native range.
Practice spotting pea-shaped flowers, paired leaflets, tendrils, and toothed stipules—then test your recognition in the quiz.
[1] Minnesota Wildflowers — identification, look-alikes & flowering
[2] USDA NRCS Plant Guide — common names, tendrils & butterfly host
[3] USDA Forest Service FEIS — native range, habitats, roots & wildlife
[4] UW–Eau Claire · Putnam Park Wildflowers — pronunciation & identification
[5] ITIS — accepted scientific name & additional common names