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Crown vetch is a sprawling herbaceous perennial that creeps and spreads along the ground, blanketing anything in its way with feathery compound leaves carried on thin wiry stems. Beneath the ground, crown vetch is spreading by underground stems (rhizomes), and sending up still more plants as it tries to cover the world. The leaves are about 1 ft (0.3 m) long with 5-12 pairs of oblong leaflets, each about 1 in (2.5 cm) long. Individual plants hold themselves up only a foot or so, but they grow all season and can wind up covering an area of 15 sq ft (1.4 sq m) or more. White, pink or purple cloverlike flower heads are produced throughout the summer and autumn. A dozen or more flowers, each about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) long, are packed into each crownlike umbel. The segmented seed pods are slender, 2-4 in (5.1-10.2 cm) long, and contain 3-12 flattened seeds. Crown vetch dies to the ground in winter but its long taproot resprouts quickly in spring. 'Emerald' is a vigorous, low growing ground cover with stems up to 6 ft (1.8 m) long and pale pink flowers. 'Penngift' is a tidier plant that stands about 2 ft (0.6 m) tall and has darker pink flowers.
Location
Culture
Crown vetch is weedy and agressive, and not really suited to gardens. It is valuable for quickly covering slopes and controlling erosion before other, more permanent, plants become established. Crown vetch is an excellent soil binder. Use it to cover dry, rocky slopes. It is used commonly on sloping highway shoulders.
Features
Steve Christman 7/22/00; updated 3/16/04
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