Apios americana

Apios americana, sometimes called the hog peanut, potato bean, or groundnut (but not to be confused with other plants sometimes known by the name groundnut) is a perennial vine native to eastern North America, and bears edible beans and large edible tubers. It grows to 3-4 m long, with pinnate leaves 8-15 cm long with 5-7 leaflets. The flowers are red-brown to purple, produced in dense racemes. The fruit is a legume (pod) 6-12 cm long.

Related Topics:
Groundnut - Perennial - Vine - North America - Bean - Tuber - Leaves - Flower - Raceme - Fruit - Legume

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The tubers are palatable and nutritious, with a high content of starch and especially protein. The plant was one of the most important food plants of pre-European North America, and is now being developed for domestication.

Related Topics:
Starch - Protein - Europe - Domestication

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