Vicia narbonensis is a vigorous annual to biennial plant with erect, firm stems that are usually unbranched; it can grow 30 - 100cm tall.The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It is cultivated as a green manure plant. A parent of the cultivated broad bean (Vicia faba) it is occasionally cultivated as a food crop in Mediterranean and Near East countries from France and Spain to Turkey, northern Iraq and Syria,Vicia narbonensis is very widely distributed in Europe, western and central Asia and northern Africa. Populations appear to be stable throughout its range and it has no apparent major threats. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils
When removing plant remains at the end of the growing season, it is best to only remove the aerial parts of the plant, leaving the roots in the ground to decay and release their nitrogen.
It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 10 - 24°c, but can tolerate 4 - 32°c
