woodland wildflower

Alpine Sweet-vetch

Hedysarum alpinum

Also known as Alpine Sweetvetch, Alpine Sweet Broom, Licorice Root, Sweetbroom

Native to the Rockies and the Northeast and southern Canada

Circumpolar, southern in North America to northern New England (rarely), the Black Hills, north-central Montana and British Columbia

Light Full sun to shade Sun tolerance
Moisture Moist Moisture preference
Zones 1–7 Cold to heat range
Bloom Jun–Jul Flowering time
Height up to 3 ft to 0.9 m
Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial

Full details, see below

In the garden

A woodland wildflower for sun through shade and evenly moist soil. Its pink and purple flowers peak in July. At up to 3 ft, it suits shade gardens and woodland edges. Hardy in USDA zones 1–7.

Growing conditions

Light

Full sun Partial shade Full shade

Moisture

Dry Moist Wet

Hardiness zones

Find your zone:

When it blooms

The Alpine Sweet-vetch's pink and purple flowers bloom June to July, peaking in July. This midsummer display draws bees and butterflies.

Alpine Sweet-vetch blooms pink & purpleFoliage

Pollinators & wildlife

Bees Tricolored Bumble Bee

also Western Honey Bee, Fuzzy-Horned Bumble Bee, Two-form Bumble Bee +43 more
Yellow-fronted Bumble Bee, Nevada Bumble Bee, Wilke's Mining Bee, Cryptic Bumble Bee, frigid bumble bee, Osmia steinmanni, Nomada rhenana, Lasioglossum lissonotum, Lasioglossum quadrisignatum, White-tipped Leafcutter Bee, Eucera chrysopyga, Ravoux's Small-Mason, Noble Nomad, black-brushed leafcutter bee, Unexpected Bumble Bee, Andrena intermedia, Osmia viridana, Osmia tergestensis, Deceptive Bumble Bee, Small Shiny Furrow Bee, Lasioglossum marginellum, Andrena similis, Clay Bumble Bee, Lot's Woolcarder, Mountain Mason Bee, Large Meadow Mining Bee, Osmia mustelina, Megachile pyrenaica, Bombus wurflenii, Mountain Bumble Bee, Pinewood Mason Bee, Osmia gallarum, Banded Mud Bee, Anthophora aestivalis, Osmia rufohirta, Lasioglossum griseolum, Lasioglossum glabriusculum, Clover Blunt-horn, Hill Cuckoo Bumble bee, Bombus ruderarius, Lasioglossum nigripes, Common Carder Bumble Bee, Garden Bumble Bee
Butterflies Northern Grizzled Skipper also Western Tailed-Blue
Moths Spear-marked and White-banded Black Moths

Full plant details

Where it grows

Habitat: WoodlandThe wild plant community it grows in.
Native range: The Rockies and the Northeast and southern CanadaUnited States (9): AK, ME, MI, MT, ND, NH, SD, VT, WY. Canada (4): AB, NB, NL, SK. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: Circumpolar, southern in North America to northern New England (rarely), the Black Hills, north-central Montana and British ColumbiaThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.

Growing conditions

Light: Full sun to shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Moisture: MoistThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
Hardiness zones: USDA 1–7 · Canadian 0–6The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Calcareous sands, gravels & rocky soilsThe soils it grows in naturally.
Soil texture: Light to heavy (sandy to clay)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
Soil pH: 6.0–8.0The acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
Soil quality: LowHow rich a soil it needs. Many natives prefer lean soil and flop in rich beds.
Salinity tolerance: NoneHow well it copes with salty soil, near roads or the coast.

Growth & form

Height: up to 3 ft (to 0.9 m)Typical mature height.
Life cycle: PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
Growth rate: RapidA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
Shape: ErectIts overall silhouette.
Root depth: 12+ in (30+ cm)How far the roots reach, a guide to drought resilience and transplanting.

Flowers, foliage & fruit

Type: WildflowerWhat kind of plant it is.
Bloom: Jun–JulWhen it flowers.
Flower color: Pink, PurpleThe bloom color, or colors.
Fruit/Seeds: ripens Jul–AugThe seed or fruit it sets after flowering.
Toxicity: None knownWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.

Propagation & seed

Cold stratification: Required (cold, moist)Whether seed needs a cold, moist spell before it will germinate.
Propagation: Container, seed, sodHow to start new plants.
Seed: ~0.1 million seeds per poundNotes on the seed and how to sow it.
Seed spread rate: ModerateHow readily it self-sows. Slow or none means well-behaved, not a spreader.
Vegetative spread: ModerateWhether it creeps outward or stays put in a clump.