hairy vetch

American  

noun

1. a plant, Vicia villosa, of the legume family, native to Eurasia, having hairy stems and violet and white flowers, widely grown as forage and as a cover crop.

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Etymology

Origin of hairy vetch

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Most are easy to manage, but the robust grower hairy vetch can be tougher to cut and may grow back from the base.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 22, 2023

Another is cover cropping, which involves planting crops such as oats or hairy vetch during the winter so fields never lay bare and exposed.

From Scientific American • May 10, 2023

“It looks like hairy vetch, but it may be a mutant. Look, it’s got this odd dependent leaf at the bottom.”

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

What good was it to have a hairy vetch “mootant” named after me, if my whole life was to be spent in Caldwell County, bounded by Lockhart and San Marcos, pecan trees and cotton fields?

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

“Do you remember,” he said, “the hairy vetch we found a while back? The possible mutant?”

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly