Vicia
Vicia is a genus of dicotyledonous plants in the Fabaceae family(legumes), subfamily Faboideae, with a near-cosmopolitan distribution, comprising around 200 accepted species. It is the genus of vetches, broad beans and faba beans.
They are annual or perennial herbaceous plants with an upright or climbing habit, compound leaves ending in a tendril and papilionaceous flowers. The fruits are dehiscent pods containing several seeds.
Different species are cultivated either for their seeds, which are used for human consumption as pulses (this is mainly the case for broad beans - Vicia faba) or for animal feed, or for their foliage or the whole plant as fodder. Some species present toxicity risks for humans and farm animals, particularly monogastric animals, due to the presence of anti-nutritional factors that make these plants unpalatable, especially for pigs.()
