Vicia hassei

Slender vetch, Slender Vetch

Family: Fabaceae · Type: annual · Native

Slender vetch is a California native annual found in coastal regions including coastal west and southwestern California in coastal scrub, chaparral, and oak woodland at elevations below 1,200 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces delicate lavender to white flowers in small clusters of one to two blooms. Growing with decumbent to erect stems 20 to 70 centimeters tall that branch at the base, it has a slender, spreading growth habit. Its compound leaves feature 4 to 10 narrow leaflets, each 5 to 25 millimeters long, with truncate or slightly notched tips. The fruit develops as an oblong pod 2 to 3 centimeters long with a slightly hairy surface.

Habitat: Coastal scrub, chaparral, oak woodland

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: < 1200 m

Bioregions: NCoRO, CW, SW (exc SnGb, SnBr, SnJt)

California counties: Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Marin, Orange, Riverside, Kern, San Luis Obispo, San Benito, Monterey, Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Humboldt, Napa, San Joaquin, Fresno, Mendocino, Yolo, San Francisco

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.