Groundnut

Description:

Apios americana 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.

Habitat:

This one was photographed in a wet area at Phinizy Swamp Nature Park near Augusta (Richmond County), GA.

Notes:

It is also called potato bean, hopniss, Indian potato or groundnut