American groundnut

Apios americana

This plant was a primary food source for many Indigenous peoples and early European settlers; its tubers contain three times the protein of a common potato.

Scientific name

Apios americana

Taxonomy

Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Fabales › Fabaceae › Apios

IUCN Red List status

Least Concern

Population trend

stable

Biome

wetland

Habitat

Damp thickets, riverbanks, marshes, and moist alluvial woodlands.

Diet

Photosynthetic; utilizes nitrogen-fixing root nodules to thrive in poor soils.

Range

Eastern United States, Southeastern Canada, Gulf Coast, Great Plains

Size

Twining vines up to 6 meters long; tubers typically 2-8 centimeters in diameter.

Lifespan

Perennial

Active

diurnal

Threats

Wetland drainage, habitat fragmentation, and competition from aggressive invasive vines like porcelain berry.

Safe to approach?

Harmless and edible. The plant is safe to touch. While the tubers are a traditional food source, they should be cooked before consumption to neutralize protease inhibitors. Always verify identification with a botanist before foraging.

Apios americana , sometimes called the potato bean , hopniss , Indian potato , hodoimo , America-hodoimo , American groundnut ,or groundnut (but not to be confused with other plants sometimes known by the name groundnut) is a perennial vine that bears edible beans and large edible tubers. Its vine can grow to 1–6 m long, with pinnate leaves 8–15 cm long with 5–7 leaflets. The flowers are usually pink, purple, or red-brown, and are produced in dense racemes 7.5–13 cm in length. The fruit...

Photo: Jensyn Scott, CC-BY, via iNaturalist

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