Trailing Crownvetch

Biological Name:

Coronilla varia (Trailing-Crownvetch)

Natural Habitat:

Trailing-Crownvetch: Typically found in a variety of habitats, including fields, roadsides, and along streams, in North America.

Description:

Trailing-Crownvetch also known as Securigera is a plant that is native to grassland and prairie regions of North America. It is a perennial herb that can grow up to two feet tall and it has small oval-shaped leaves and small pink or purple flowers that bloom in the summer. The plant is known for its ability to trail or climb and it is often used as a groundcover or erosion control plant in gardens and landscapes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Is Crownvetch invasive?
A: Crown vetch is native to Europe, Asia and Africa. Since its introduction to the U.S., it has spread throughout the country. It is currently reported as invasive in many states, especially through the center of the country and along the eastern seaboard.
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Q: Does vetch come back every year?
A: Tilling the vetch under, letting it decompose and then planting your crop will go one step further by adding organic matter to the soil. Hairy vetch, as a winter annual, will sprout in the fall, overwinter, regrow in spring, go to seed and die.
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Q: Is vetch hard to get rid of?
A: The plant is tolerant of many site conditions and grows in sun to part shade and in dry sandy soils to moist clay loams. Vetch has purple flowers and produces green bean-like seed pods. The weed has a tap root that breaks easily, making it difficult to remove when weeding by hand.
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Q: Do bees like crown vetch flowers?
A: There are many different types of vetch, but hairy vetch and crown vetch are among the two most popular ones for bee-attracting cover crops. Their pink to purple blooms are also an added benefit, so this one really is a triple winner.
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Q: Can you mow crown vetch?
A: A combination of mowing and herbicide is fairly effective. Note the word “fairly.”” Mowing close to the ground can control the spread of crown vetch branches and spring is a good time to do this – like now – the mowing will knock it down and cause it to grow again and again.”
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Q: Is Crown vetch toxic to animals?
A: Crown vetch contains nitroglycosides which is poisonous to horses and other non-ruminants. Ruminants are not affected because they are able to convert the toxin in the rumen.
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Q: What damage does the crown vetch do?
A: Problem: Crown vetch becomes a problem when it invades natural areas, such as na- tive grassland prairies and dunes, where it works to exclude native vegetation by fully covering and shad- ing those native plants. It can climb over small trees and shrubs, and eventually form large monocultures.
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Q: Is crown vetch an annual or perennial?
A: Description: Crown vetch is a perennial legume in the pea/legume family (Fabaceae or Leguminosae. It can form large clumps from creeping stems.
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Q: Is vetch winter hardy?
A: Hairy vetch is an annual leguminous cover crop that is winter hardy throughout Pennsylvania if established in a timely manner.
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Q: Is vetch good for the garden?
A: Few legumes contribute as much nitrogen or biomass to the garden. Vetch produces an abundance of vining stems and fine foliage that help protect soils from wind and rain, while improving structure and adding nutrients. Plant vetch as a cover crop or green manure and reap the rewards of healthy, thriving soil.
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Q: Is crown vetch a good plant?
A: Crown Vetch (Coronilla varia) – An extremely fast and aggressive plant, Crown vetch produces a quick ground cover for erosion control with white to pink flowers. This legume should be planted for erosion control in certain hard-to-reach areas such as steep, dry, rocky slopes and low fertility soils.
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Q: Is crown vetch poisonous to dogs?
A: Crown vetch contains the toxin beta-nitropropionic acid (3-NPA) primarily in the leaves and growing stems. Ruminants are able to detoxify the 3-NPA in their rumens, while simple stomached animals cannot. The 3-NPA once absorbed will cause methemoglobinemia.
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Q: What damage does crown vetch do?
A: Problem: Crown vetch becomes a problem when it invades natural areas, such as na- tive grassland prairies and dunes, where it works to exclude native vegetation by fully covering and shad- ing those native plants. It can climb over small trees and shrubs, and eventually form large monocultures.
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Q: When should vetch be planted?
A: Irrigation will help germination, particularly if broadcast seeded. Plant vetch 30 to 45 days before killing frost for winter annual management; in early spring for summer growth; or in July if you want to kill or incorporate it in fall or for a winter-killed mulch.
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Q: Does crown vetch stay green in winter?
A: It is green from early spring through late fall and dies back in winter. When it blooms in summer, its white, purple and pink flowers attract bees and other pollinators. Crown vetch is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9 and can be invasive.
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Q: Does crown vetch fix nitrogen?
A: Crown vetch is a cool-season, nitrogen fixing plant in the pea family. Originally from Asia and Europe, this plant was widely recommended for a forage crop in addition to soil erosion control.
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Q: How do I get rid of Crownvetch?
A: Mowing or a combination of mowing and herbicides should solve the problem. Mow the crown vetch in June and again in August. It may take several years to kill all the existing plants and their seedlings. Or mow in late spring and treat with a total vegetation killer.
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Q: How do you get rid of violes?
A: Remove vegetation. Voles don’t like to feed out in the open. … Protect young trees. Voles love to gnaw on the trunks of young trees. … Use live traps. … Use natural repellants. … Contact a professional pest management company. … Vole Poisons. … Repellents. … Traps.
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About the author

Samuel is a gardening professional and enthusiast who has spent over 20 years advising homeowners and farm owners on weed identification, prevention and removal. He has an undergraduate degree in plant and soil science from Michigan State University.