Vicia sepium, commonly known as Bush Vetch, is a nitrogen-fixing, perennial leguminous climbing plant. It is indigenous to a range of habitats including grasslands, open woodlands, and forest edges across Europe and parts of Asia. It has been introduced to eastern Canada and the northeastern USA. Bush Vetch typically grows up to 39 inches (1 meter) long, with stems that can twine around other plants for support. The leaves are pinnate with 4 to 8 pairs of leaflets, and it produces clusters of reddish-lilac or lilac-blue flowers that are highly attractive to pollinators from May to August.

Bush Vetch is valued for its ability to enrich soil by fixing atmospheric nitrogen, making it beneficial in agricultural settings as a forage crop and as a green manure. It is also used in gardens for its ornamental flowers and as a natural soil improver. In cultivation, it prefers full sun to partial shade and thrives in well-drained soils. While it is generally low-maintenance, it can become invasive in some areas, spreading rapidly and potentially outcompeting native flora. Gardeners should be cautious about planting it in areas where it is not native.CC BY-SA 4.0