Hairy Tare

Vicia hirsuta

Plant Data

Order:

Fabales

Family:

Fabaceae (Pea)

Flowering Months:

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Flowers:

Small pea-like, pale lilac and forming spikes on long stalks.

Fruit:

A flat, pea-like pod, up to 1cm long. Hairy and often densely hairy, hence the name of this plant.

Leaves:

Compound leaves with 12 to 16 linear leaflets and a forked tendril. Similar to Smooth Tare but Hairy Tare has a greater number of paired leaflets.

Maximum Size:

80cm tall.

Foraging Notes:

The seeds can be cooked and eaten in a similar way as lentils. The leaves and stems can be eaten, similarly as you would eat vegetables.
Never consume a wild plant unless you are 100% certain that it is safe to eat and you know that you have identified it correctly.

Other Names:

Hairy Vetch, Tare Vetch, Tiny Vetch.

Habitats:

Beaches, farmland, gardens, grassland, hedgerows, meadows, roadsides, sand dunes, scrub, sea cliffs, seaside, wasteland, waterside, wetland, woodland.