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Kendall County (IL) Forest Preserve District Crown Vetch The
non-native (European) Crown Vetch is (unfortunately) very common in
our area. It prefers partial or full sun and moist to slightly moist
fertile loamy soil, but drier poor soil is tolerated. Habitats include
slightly moist black soil prairies, weedy meadows, banks of streams and
drainage ditches and embankments of roadsides and highway overpasses. This perennial is very
invasive and keeps trying to move into our natural
prairies
(see note below). It is 1-3' tall, branching occasionally and often
sprawling. The hairless stems are more or less ascending, often relying on
adjacent vegetation for support. The alternate
compound leaves are about 6" long and odd-pinnate with 11-25 leaflets, each about ¾"
long and ¼" across, oblong, hairless and untoothed. Flowering stalks (up
to 6" in long) develop from the axils of
the upper leaves creating an umbel of
10-25 flowers. Each pea-like flower is about ½" long with 5 pink, light
lavender or white petals.
Crown Vetch along Minkler Road July 4, 2012
Crown Vetch foliage along Route 71 August 10, 2012 Additional
note: Crown Vetch is a very invasive
non-native perennial that is very hard to get rid of once it becomes
established. As is the case with most invasives, it can tolerate extreme
conditions and poor soil where native plants tend to struggle and not be able
to compete. In the past it was extensively used in highway landscaping for
erosion control. But Crown Vetch often Click here for more information. Copyright © 2011-2017 by Kendall County Forest Preserve District. All Rights Reserved. |
