Amphicarpaea bracteata (L.) Fernald var. bracteata

American Hog Peanut

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

American Hog Peanut is a native annual in the Bean family (Fabaceae). It occurs throughout most of Alabama, but is uncommon in the sandy pine woods of the southernmost counties. American Hog Peanut grows in moist deciduous forests, along streams, on roadside banks, and in ravines. It is a twining annual with stems 6-8 feet in length. The vines often form dense inter-twined mats on the ground or on adjacent vegetation. Stems are slender, green or purple-brown in color, and pubescent. Leaves are alternate, trifoliate, and pubescent. The terminal leaflet is usually larger than the lateral leaflets, and had a longer petiolule. The stipules at the base of the leaf are persistent. Flowers are chasmogamous and cleistogamous. Chasmogamous flowers are produced in axillary racemes of 2-15 flowers. The flowers are papilionaceous and vary in color from white, through light pink or lavender, to purple. Cleistogamous flowers are produced on long filiform runners from the base of the plant. The fruit is a legume. Fruit of chasmogamous flowers contain 1-2 small seed. Fruit of cleistogamous flowers are below the soil or leaf litter surface and contain a single large seed. The underground seed are edible and were a minor food source for Native Americans. American Hog Peanut is occasionally promoted and sold as a permaculture crop. Two varieties of American Hog Peanut have been reported from Alabama. Amphicarpaea bracteata (Linnaeus) Fernald var. bracteata is widespread in the state. Lowland Hog Peanut (Amphicarpaea bracteata var. comosa (Linnaeus) Fernald) has only been reported from a single county. Lowland Hog Peanut differs from the typical variety in that the stem hairs are spreading rather than appressed, the leaflets are larger, and the flowers are darker in color.--A. Diamond

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Native

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