Vetch is a scrambling hairy to hairless, annual leguminous vine climbing by means of branched tendrils. The leaves are divided like a feather into 3-10 pairs of small narrow leaflets, each 8-30 mm long. It has almost stalkless pink to purple pea flowers, each 1-2 cm long and either single or in few-flowered clusters. The seed pod is narrow, slightly flattened and 3-5 cm long.