Apios americana
| Apios americana | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||||
| Apios americana Medikus | ||||||||||||||||
| Synonyms | ||||||||||||||||
|
A. tuberosa Moench |
Apios americana, sometimes called the potato bean, Indian potato 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.
The tubers are crunchy 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.
External links
- Domestication of Apios americana
- Plants for a future database
- Apios americana at the USDA Plants database
- Hopniss: North America's best wild tuber?
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Apios americana". Image Credit.
