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Fabaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Onobrychis viciifolia

Onobrychis viciifolia

Edibility
1/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

Onobrychis viciifolia is a plant of the temperate zone, where it is found at elevations up to 3,000 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 18 - 27°c, but can tolerate 4 - 34°c[1]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -4°c, but young growth is more tender and can be severely damaged at -1°c[1]. These minimum temperatures do not seem correct - this is a zone 6 plant and should tolerate -20°c[1]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 400 - 800mm, but tolerates 250 - 1,100mm[1]. Prefers a well-drained neutral to alkaline sandy loam in full sun[2, 3]. Succeeds in poor soils[4] and in shallow soils over chalk[3]. Dislikes shade. Plants ae fairly drought tolerant[5]. Does not succeed in wet soils[4]. Prefers a pH in the range 6.5 - 7.5, tolerating 4.9 - 8.2[1]. A good border plant for the vegetable garden[6, 7], the deep tap root helps to break up the sub-soil[4]. Plants are resistant to alfalfa stem nematodes[8] and are immune to bacterial wilt disease and attacks by the alfalfa stem weevil[8]. The plant is subject to crown rot and the stands may not persist more than 5 - 6 years in areas subject to heavy infection[5]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[3].

Propagation

Seed - pre-soak for 12 hours in warm water and sow in situ in the spring[2, 3]. Seed can also be sown in situ in the autumn. If seed is in short supply then it might be wiser to sow it in pots in a cold frame in early spring. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer. Division in the spring just before new growth commences[3]. Large divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Onobrychis+viciifolia>

Pollinators

Bees, Insects

References

  1. [1]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  2. [2]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  3. [3]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  4. [4]The Useful Plants of Great Britain. — Johnson. C. P. ↩︎Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.
  5. [5]Plants Database — United States Department of Agriculture · http://plants.usda.gov/java/factSheet ↩︎An online database with an excellent collection of fact sheets about native N. American plants.
  6. [6]Companion Plants. — Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. · Watkins · 1979 · ISBN - ↩︎Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.
  7. [7]Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. — Riotte. L. · Garden Way, Vermont, USA. · 1978 · ISBN 0-88266-064-0 ↩︎Fairly good.
  8. [8]Wonder Crops. 1987. — Natural Food Institute, ↩︎Fascinating reading, this is an annual publication. Some reports do seem somewhat exaggerated though.
  9. [9]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  10. [10]Flora of the British Isles. — Clapham, Tutin and Warburg. · Cambridge University Press · 1962 · ISBN - ↩︎A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.