Common Name: Yellow Vetch

General Information

Vicia lutea is a tufted, prostrate annual plant with stems 10 - 45cm long.
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food.
Vicia lutea is a widespread species with no major threats and ex situ conservation in place. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2016)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Europe - Britain to Portugal, east to Romania and Bulgaria; W. Asia - Turkey, the Caucasus, Iran, Levant; N. Africa - Macaronesia, Morocco to Egypt

Habitat

Cliffs and shingle near the sea[]. Disturbed and agricultural land, and open woodland; at elevations up to 2,180 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.30 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Species in this genus generally succeed in any well-drained soil in a sunny position if the soil is reliably moist throughout the growing season, otherwise they are best grown in semi-shade[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

The seeds are a potential food, and have at times of famine been used as an extender with cereals[]. They are rich in protein and carbohydrates, but are best soaked before use (the soakwater being discarded) in order to get rid of a bitter substance[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

Vicia lutea L. is a secondary wild relative of Hungarian Vetch V. pannonica Crantz, a tertiary wild relative of Narbon Bean V. narbonensis L. and Common Vetch V. sativa L. and more remotely a number of other cultivated vetches including Faba Bean V. faba L., Articulated Vetch, V. articulata Hornem., Bitter Vetch V. ervilia (L.) Willd. and Winter Vetch V. villosa Roth. (Maxted and Douglas 1996). As a result, it has the potential for use as a gene donor for crop improvement[].

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ in spring or autumn. The seed has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up and improve germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing.