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four-seeded vetch

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Our ace botanists are here to help you identify wild New England plants and to answer questions about their ecology and conservation. When posting a question, please provide the location, habitat (e.g. river, mountain, woodland), and photographs of the plant.

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Recently answered questions

Question

My parents recently grew this plant they received, does anyone know what it is called? I ate some of the fruit and liked it but have no idea what it's called. I was also told that this plant is in abundance in Southern China near though I have yet to verify that.

Answer

Dear Albedrt757, good morning. I don't know the name of this plant that you have posted images of. However, I do know that it is a member of the Solanaceae (nightshade family), and that it is likely a member of the genus Solanum (nightshade), the same genus that eggplant, tomato, and some other well-known nightshades belong to. I hope you are able to learn the full identity of this mystery plant. (Tuesday, 18 March 2025)
Question

This is a violet growing in the low, wet corner of my yard. Photos taken on May 14, 2024. I thought I had photos of the capsules later on in the year, but I can't find them sadly. I believe it is Viola affinis and I used the Flora Novae Angliae key (which I just bought :-) ) Some features that match up are: leaves narrow-ovate, uniform teeth along margin, sepals lanceolate, peduncles glabrous, and of course its habitat.

Answer

Dear ryan3476, good morning. Your violet is a bit of a puzzle. The ciliate sepals and ciliate leaf blade margin (nicely visible in your images) put this in the Viola sororia complex. I can't tell whether or not the spurred petal is pubescent (it is often difficult to see in images that don't specifically try to tease this out). I would have happily called this Viola sororia s.s. except that the leaf blades are more narrow (relative to width) than I typically observe. I don't know what part of New England this violet was photographed from, which would make a difference based on which species are likely to be present that may have contributed (through hybridization) to the features we observe now. You can reach me at ahaines@nativeplanttrust.org if you want to discuss this violet further. Best wishes. (Monday, 10 March 2025)
Question

hello. nashville, tn. i received a bromeliaceae plant for valentine's day. today 3/3 she is looking ill. not as vibrant as before. it also has some discoloration spotting that wasn't there when i first got it. i've let water sit in the center cup for 2days and noticed it wasn't draining so i took some water out. it now has white fuzzys mold like. please help save her.

Answer

Dear chunkymonkey7, often plants that get a white wild on them are being covered by something called "powdery mildew", a fungus that can harm the plant. There are multiple ways to deal with this, including clipping and removing affected parts, or using vinegar (mix two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with a quart of water and place it in a spray bottle to mist the affected parts). You can also add baking powder (1 tablespoon to a quart of water) and mist that onto the plant. For prevention, keep the plant in an areas with good air flow and don't over water. I hope this helps. (Friday, 7 March 2025)