Crownvetch
is a deep rooted perennial legume. It is winter hardy, drought tolerant,
and will persist under light shade. The stems of crownvetch are coarse,
semi-erect, and attain lengths of 3 to 5 feet at maturity. The showy blossoms
vary in color from whitish-pink to light purple with various shades of pink.
Crownvetch blooms from mid-June to August. Crownvetch spreads by seed
and by heavy rhizomes. With favorable growing conditions and proper management,
crownvetch plantings thicken with time and eventually almost completely
eliminate other herbaceous species. Crownvetch should be seeded during
spring. A special inoculent is required. The most extensive use
of crownvetch in the United States has been for cover and erosion control.
It is particularly valuable on cuts and fills which receive little or no mowing.
On many such sites, pure stands of crownvetch have developed with excellent
ground cover. On the better sites which receive some traffic and are mowed
regularly, other species predominate and crownvetch is of only minor importance
or disappears completely. When used as a forage, crownvetch is primarily
used as pasture. It is course stemmed with a high proportion of stem to
leaf and is difficult to harvest as hay. SEEDING RATE - Seed
in early spring at 5-8 pound/acre. May require several years to obtain
a productive stand.
Crownvetch
(Coronilla Varia)