Vicia cassia

Βίκος ο κάσσιος

Etymology of Vicia cassia: The Latin name of the genus, "Vicia", meaning "binder", derives from Proto-Italic "wikia", which in turn originates other from Proto-Indo-European "weyk-", meaning "to curve, bend" or from Proto-Indo-European "wehy- ". The name "binder" alludes to the activity of the tendrils. The epithet "cassia" comes from the ancient Hebrew word "quetsi'oth", which means "cinnamon", first used by Dioscorides, a physician in Ancient Greece (40–90 AD), unknown why it was named as such.

At least 26 Vicia species and subspecies/kinds have so far been identified in the wild Cypriot habitat, of which two of them appear exclusively in occupied northern Cyprus.

Vicia cassia is a plant mostly encountered in the Troodos mountains, at an altitude between 450–1525 metres. Its flowering period is between March and May.