Beware easily confused
Medicks ; but
fruits are v. different:
Pink Clovers:
White (or greeny) Clovers:
Note that more than 40 spp. of Trifolium may be found in BI
Trigonella . . . . . Sickle-fruited Fenugreek
Trigonella corniculata . . . . Sickle-fruited Fenugreek
Ulex
Spines rigid and deeply furrowed in
U. europaeus (on L) but much less so in
U. gallii (on R)
Ulex europaeus . . Gorse
Widespread, flowers mainly in the spring, needles grooved
Ulex minor . . Dwarf Gorse
Up to a m or so tall, flowers primarily in summer, softer ungrooved spines than others; concentrated on heathland in S C En, scattered elsewhere
Ulex gallii . . Western Gorse
Prostrate - sometimes to about 150 cm tall, flowers in summer, needles with only faint grooves; most common from CI northwards along W Br and Ire N to N En
Vicia
Choose from the following:
See also:
Other spp. include
V. orobus (Wood Bitter-vetch),
V. bithynica (Bithynian Vetch),
V. pannonica (Hungarian Vetch) and
V. villosa (Hairy Vetch)
Vicia cracca . . Tufted Vetch
Common throughout BI; fls 8-12 mm
V. tenuifolia (Fine-leaved Vetch) is similar but with larger fls (12-18 mm)
Vicia lathyroides . . Spring Vetch
Mostly around coast of Br and SE Ire; flowers v. small (<9mm)
Vicia lens (was Lens culinaris). . . . . Lentil
Casual grain alien
See also
Ervilia hirsuta
Vicia lutea . . Yellow Vetch
Rather local across Br, though most frequent on S coast and Guernsey
Vicia sativa . . Common Vetch
NB Often split into 3 ssp. V. s. ssp. nigra (has upper leaf leaflets narrower than lower leaves; flowers evenly coloured), cf. others with more or less even leaves and pale standard: V. s. ssp. segetum fruits hairy (yellow-brown) and the rather less common V. s. ssp. sativa (fruits smooth hairless, brown-black)
Vicia sativa subsp. nigra . . Common Vetch
Common throughout BI (even coloured flowers)
Vicia sativa subsp. segetalis . . Common Vetch
Common S of C Sc, and in S Ire (flower with pale standard)
Vicia sepium . . Bush Vetch
Common throughout BI
Other spp. include the perennial
V. orobus (Wood Bitter-vetch) lvs with tendrils, scattered in W Br and in Ire; and rarer casuals such as
V. bithynica (Bithynian Vetch),
V. pannonica (Hungarian Vetch),
V. villosa (Fodder Vetch)