Seasonal Wild Flowers

Latin name

Vicia hirsuta

Family

Fabaceae

Flowering season

May to August

English distribution

It is found throughout the country, except for the higher

parts of the Northwest. 

See the BSBI distribution map for Hairy Tare

Habitat

It grows in rough grassy places.

The pictures here were taken on a brownfield site in

Lancaster, a wildflower meadow in Somerset and

rough arable ground in Suffolk.

Description

Hairy Tare is a native, nitrogen-fixing, scrambling herb,

growing up to 80cm.

It can completely smother other plants over quite large

patches and can be an arable weed.

Flowers are small – up to 5mm, and are in groups of

up to 7 and on long stalks.

Petals are dirty-white to pale lilac and only look

leguminous on close inspection.

Sepal teeth are roughly equal in length.

Leaves have 4 to 8 opposite or alternate leaflets.

Leaflets are up to 12mm and thin.

Stipules are small, 4-lobed and spiky.

The pods are about 1cm, 2-seeded, green and

hairy at first, turning  black.