Historical reference: Do not rely on this information. It is very old. About this collection
Tares (Vicia sativa), also known as vetch (q.v.), a commonly-grown green fodder-plant, with sessile, solitary papilionaceous flowers and smooth black seeds. We import over 400,000 bushels of these seeds from the Continent as food for horses and poultry. The two allied British weeds V. hirsuta, with a two-seeded pod, and V. tetrasperma are known as the hairy and smooth tare respectively.