Vicia sicula, (Rafin.) Guss. Vicia cracca, L.

9. V. sicula (Rafin.) Guss. View in CoL , FI. Sic. Syn. 2: 292 (1844).

Glabrous perennial 40-80 cm. Leaves without a tendril; leaflets 1-3 pairs, 20-50 x 1-3 mm, linear, acute. Racemes 15- to 25-flowered. Calyx-teeth unequal, shorter than tube; corolla 15-20 mm, pale purple. Legume 25-50 x 4-10 mm, glabrous, yellow. Seeds c. 6. 5. Italy, Sicilia.?Gr It Si. 10-13. V. cracca group. Perennial up to 200 cm. Leaflets 5-20 pairs; stipules entire. Racemes 8- to 40-flowered. Calyx-teeth unequal; corolla purple, violet or blue; limb of the standard equalling or longer than claw. Legume brown, glabrous. Seeds 4-8.

A critical group of species not yet fully understood and frequently misidentified. Flower-colour may be of taxonomic importance in the group, but it is not clear from the information available to what extent the colour varies in each species. 1 Corolla 8—12(—13) mm; limb of the standard about as long as claw

2 Stems glabrous or pubescent with appressed hairs; lower calyx-teeth about as long as tube 10. cracca 2 Stems densely pubescent with patent hairs; lower calyx-teeth

c. 1 | times as long as tube 11. incana 1 Corolla (10—)12—18 mm; limb of the standard longer than claw

3 Leaflets 2-6 mm wide, linear-lanceolate 12. tenuifolia

3 Leaflets 1-2 mm wide, linear to setaceous 13. dalmatica

10. V. cracca L. View in CoL , Sp. Pl. 735 (1753).

Stems glabrous or pubescent with appressed hairs. Leaflets 6-15 pairs, 5-30 x 1-6 mm, linear to ovate-oblong. Racemes 10- to 30-flowered, dense. Lower calyx-teeth almost equalling tube; corolla 8-12 mm, bluishviolet; limb of the standard about equalling claw. Legume 10- 25 x 4-6 mm, with stipe shorter than calyx. Seeds with hilum of the circumference. 2« = 14, 27, 28, 30. Almost throughout Europe. All except Az BI?Lu Sb.

V. oreophila Zertova , Nov. Bot. Horti Bot. Univ. Carol. Prag. 1962: 51 (1962), described from mountains in Czechoslovakia, and probably occurring elsewhere in the mountains of C. & S. Europe and in Scandinavia, is probably best treated as a subspecies of 10. It is smaller, with the stems 5-30 cm, the leaflets 6-10 pairs, lanceolate, the racemes shorter than the leaves and the corolla 10-13 mm. It has 2zi = 28.