Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fabales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Securigera varia
FAMILY
Fabaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Learn more about Crown-vetch from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Securigera varia
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Securigera varia
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Coronilla varia
SYNONYMOUS WITH Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Securigera varia
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-22-001:
Coronilla varia FAMILY Fabaceae
COMMON NAME:
Crown-vetch
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_cova2_001_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm120526_562
May Spartanburg County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm120526_562b
May Spartanburg County SC
Calyx glabrous, upper 2 lobes more or less united, lower 3 lobes separate, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm120526_566
May Spartanburg County SC
Leaves odd-pinnate with from 9 to many more oblong leaflets 1/2-3/4" long, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
COMPARE
pinnately compound leaves of forbs
)
Stephanie C. Brundage scb_052216hayesville_06
May Clay County NC
Roadside
)
JK Marlow jkm0307d_21
July Rutherford County NC
Chimney Rock Park
Long-stalked umbels arise singly from numerous leaf axils, per Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm0407k_06
July Jackson County NC
Roadside
)
JK Marlow jkm160702_128
July Jackson County NC
Pea-like flowers are borne in dense umbels of 10-20 flowers, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm160702_129
July Jackson County NC
)
JK Marlow jkm160702_130
July Jackson County NC
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Securigera varia
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Securigera varia
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Securigera varia
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Coronilla varia
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Securigera varia
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-22-001:
Coronilla varia
FAMILY
Fabaceae
387
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Roadbanks, woodland borders, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Europe
Common in Mountains & NC Piedmont, uncommon in Piedmont of GA & SC, rare in Coastal Plain
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
This plant is causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2006
- Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2013
- SC Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2014
- Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2009
- US Fish & Wildlife Service
- US Forest Service Southern Research Station
- Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, 2014
LEAVES:
Odd-pinnately compound: 11-19 leaflets
Mostly alternate
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Pink/Rose/Lilac
Bilaterally symmetrical
5-toothed campanulate calyx
5-parted papilionaceous corolla
10 stamens, diadelphous, 9 and 1
Superior ovary
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Legume
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers (Campbell, Hutson, Sharp, & Hutson, 1962) p090
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p394
- Invasive Plants, Guide to Identification, Impacts and Control (Kaufman & Kaufman, 2007) p324
- A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010) p106
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p066
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p341
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p035
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p130
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p167
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p087
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".