Apios americana Medik.

Common Groundnut; American Groundnut

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

American Groundnut is a native perennial herbaceous vine in the Bean family (Fabaceae). It can be found throughout Alabama. American Groundnut grows on the shores of lakes and ponds, along streams and rivers, in wet ditches, in seeps, and in low woods. It is a perennial with roots producing numerous tubers varying in size from that of a grape to a walnut. A few larger tubers are the size of Irish potatoes. Vines are twining, glabrous or short pubescent, and up to 15 feet in length. Leaves are alternate, petiolate, and once pinnate with 5-7 leaflets. The leaflets are ovate to lanceolate in outline, glabrous or short pubescent, with entire margins. Flowers are produced in densely flowered axillary racemes. Flowers are papilionaceous, with the standard petal reflexed and the keel strongly recurved. Flowers are reddish brown in color. The fruit is a legume with 2-10 seed. The two halves of the legume spirally twist during dehiscence. American Groundnut tubes can be harvested and eaten raw, boiled, roasted, or fried like potatoes. They contain more than 3 times the protein of an Irish Potato. American Groundnut is grown commercially in Japan and Europe. There have been attempts to develop it as a crop is the United States, but most efforts have been failures. Native Americans consumed both the tubers and the seed.--A. Diamond

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Native FACW (NWPL) G5 (Global Rank)

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