AMERICAN VETCH 
Vicia americana Muhlenberg 
American vetch is one of the most graceful and beautiful mem- 
bets of its group. It loves moist ground, and may be found in open 
meadows, in brushy thickets, or even in the forest. It is a weak vine, 
clinging for support to its neighbors by the forked tendrils which tip 
the leaves ina hold almost impossible to disentangle. The fruit is a 
small flat pod. 
American vetch ranges widely, being found from Virginia west to 
Arizona and north to New Brunswick and Alaska. 
The specimen sketched was obtained near Banff, Alberta, Canada, 
at an altitude of 4,000 feet. 
PLATE I90 
