Big Deervetch Seeds (Hosackia crassifolia)

A robust, high value wildlife plant for forest edges, hedgerows, and natural areas.

One of the larger, and more sprawling native legumes for the Pacific Northwest, big deer vetch (as the common name suggests), is a plant with significant wildlife value.

This legume is browsed by deer, elk and other animals (both the foliage and large, pea-like seed pods). Additionally, its flowers are highly attractive to bumble bees, especially coastal/forest-edge bumble bees such as the Sitka bumble bee (Bombus sitkensis), the Vancouver Island bumble bee (Bombus vancouverensis), and the orange-rumped bumble bee (Bombus melanopygus). If that wasn’t enough, it is also a likely host plant for various butterfly caterpillars, including silver-spotted skipper (Epargyreus clarus), Persius Duskywing (Erynnis persius), Melissa blue (Plebejus melissa), Acmon blue (Plebejus acmon), and possibly MANY others. 

This 1-4 feet, twining, creeping perennial with its yellow to maroon flowers is a prime choice for cool, slightly damp micro-climates – coastal areas, partially shaded spots, forest edges (the transition zone between forests and meadows), recently cleared forest areas, and it particularly excels in hedgerows where it inter-grows within species such as snowberry and Nootka rose.

Flowers appear in late spring through early summer, and the plant is native from British Columbia south into Baja.

Note that Big Deervetch produces some dormant seeds and can be difficult to germinate without exposure to a cold winter weather cycle or mechanical seed scarification.

Approximately 200-seeds (3.0 grams).