crown vetch

English - English

Definition of crown vetch in English English dictionary

A perennial European herb (Coronilla varia) in the pea family, grown for forage and erosion control and having clusters of small white or pink flowers and pinnately compound leaves. Vigorous trailing legume (Coronilla varia), native to the Mediterranean but widely grown in temperate areas as a ground cover. It has fernlike leaves and clusters of white to pink flowers. The sturdy roots are useful in binding the soil of steep slopes and roadside embankments. As a legume, crown vetch draws nitrogen from the air, trapping it in the roots, and thus improves soil fertility. It dies back to the crown each fall in cold areas, resuming growth in spring. Cutting the plant back in the fall or early spring encourages quick growth

Hyphenation

Crown vetch

Etymology

[ 'kraun ] (noun.) 12th century. Middle English coroune, crowne, from Old French corone, from Latin corona wreath, crown, from Greek korOnE culmination, something curved like a crow's beak, literally, crow; akin to Latin cornix crow, Greek korax raven; more at RAVEN.