Vicia villosa
Hairy vetch, winter vetch, Winter Vetch
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Fabaceae · Type: Vine · Not Native
Vicia villosa (Hairy vetch) is a non-native California vine in the Fabaceae family, recognized by no sympatric species in its range.
Hairy vetch is a naturalized annual legume found in disturbed agricultural and ruderal habitats across California. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces blue-purple to lavender flowers in dense clusters along one side of the flower stalk. Growing with sprawling or climbing stems up to one meter long, it has a climbing or spreading habit that allows it to spread across ground or nearby vegetation. Its compound leaves feature 12 to 18 narrowly oblong leaflets, each 1 to 2.5 centimeters long with rounded tips and a single tooth at the end. The fruit is a widely oblong pod 1.5 to 4 centimeters long, characteristic of its legume family.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated; no sympatric species in its range
Habitat and range
California counties: Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Ventura, San Bernardino, Santa Cruz, Fresno, Sonoma, Sacramento, Napa, Tulare, Colusa, Mono, Yolo, Monterey, Santa Barbara, Mendocino, Humboldt, Siskiyou, Shasta, Lake, San Mateo, Tehama, San Joaquin, Tuolumne, Kern, Alameda, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Yuba, El Dorado, Contra Costa, Nevada, Marin, Butte, Glenn, Madera, Lassen, Placer, Calaveras, Solano, Stanislaus, Santa Clara, Sierra, Merced
How to tell it apart
vs Lathyrus: Vicia style is round and hairy all around; Lathyrus style is flattened with hairs only on top.; vs Astragalus: Vicia has tendrils at leaf tips; Astragalus leaves end in a leaflet with no tendril.; vs Pisum: Vicia has many leaflets and tiny stipules; Pisum has 4-6 leaflets and giant stipules.; vs Salvia: Vicia has pea flowers and tendril-tipped leaves; Salvia has tubular two-lipped flowers and simple leaves.; vs Lupinus: Vicia has tendril-tipped pinnate leaves; Lupinus has palmate leaves radiating from one point.
Frequently asked questions
Is Vicia villosa native to California?
No. Vicia villosa is not native to California (recorded as not native).
Where in California does Vicia villosa grow?
Vicia villosa occurs in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Ventura, San Bernardino, Santa Cruz, Fresno and other counties.
What plant family does Vicia villosa belong to?
Vicia villosa is in the Fabaceae family, genus Vicia.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.