Vicia ludoviciana subsp. ludoviciana

Deerpea vetch, Deerpea Vetch

Family: Fabaceae · Type: annual · Native

Deerpea vetch is a California native annual found in southern Central Coast, southern Coastal Range, and southwestern California in grasslands, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, oak woodland, and riparian areas at elevations below 1,220 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces pale blue flowers clustered 1 to 3 near the tip of its stems, each flower approximately 4.5 to 7 millimeters long. Growing with sprawling or low-climbing stems 30 to 100 centimeters long, the plant can be glabrous or slightly hairy. Its compound leaves have 4 to 10 narrow oblong to elliptic leaflets, each 10 to 25 millimeters long with an acute or occasionally truncate tip, often with a single tooth. The plant produces elongated fruits 15 to 25 millimeters long that are oblong or saber-shaped with a short stalk-like base.

Habitat: Slopes, canyons, streambanks, in grassland, coastal-sage scrub, chaparral, oak woodland, riparian woodland

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: < 1220 m

Bioregions: s CCo, SCoRO, SW (exc SnBr)

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