Purple Crownvetch

Here's an invasive wildflower you can see in a lot of places, a Purple Crownvetch. I've discussed this wildflower before, so I'll just add a few more factoids:

  • Like other legumes, they indirectly help restore nitrogen to the soil. That's due to a symbiotic relationship the plant has established with rhizobia, a bacteria that requires a host plant and converts nitrogen in the air into ammonia in the soil.
  • It's slow to establish itself, but once it does its deep weeds, nitrogen fixing, and aggressive behavior make it very difficult to get rid of.
  • It's unclear that any wildlife will eat it, though Differential Grasshoppers and a few others are suspected of giving it a try from time to time.
  • One native wildflower suggested as an alternative, the Wood Vetch, is considered so flammable that it's recommended to keep it away from homes. (There might not be a great native alternative.)
  • The "vetch" part of the name comes from a Latin word (vincire) meaning to bind or twist.

June 15, 2023 at Sourland Mountain Preserve
Photo 300991895, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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