groundnut
Family
FabaceaeScientific Name
Apios americanaOther Common Names:
groundnut
Indian potato
ground bean
hopniss
patates en chapelet
pea vines
pomme de terre
sea vines
wild bean
wild potato
wild sweet potato
Synonyms (former Scientific Names):
Glycine apios
Habit
forb/herb/vine
Leaves
The leaves are alternate, pinnately, egg-shaped, 2-10 cm (3/4-4 in) long, 1.8-7 cm (0.7-2.7 in) wide, and sometimes hairy.
Identifying Characteristics
Legume Family (Fabaceae). Groundnut (Apios americana) is a perennial herb from slender rhizomes with tuberous thickenings 1.3-4 cm (0.5-1.6 in) thick, and stems twining or climbing over other plants.Groundnut blooms from July to October. The flowers have 5 parts, the upper one round, white and reddish brown, the 2 side wings curved down and brown-purple, the lower 2 petals sickle-shaped and brownish red.
Flower Seed Head
The flowers are in rounded clusters among leaves.The fruits are dry, straight or slightly curved, narrow, and 5-10 mm (3/16-3/8 in) long. The fleshy legume fruits are 6-12 mm (0.2-.5 in) in diameter and indehiscent (the fruit coils back after opening), usually with 1 seed.
Seed Fruit
The seeds are oblong or square, dark brown, with wrinkled surfaces.
Where Found
Groundnut is distributed through the great prairie from Quebec to Minnesota, North Dakota, south to north central Colorado, Florida, and Texas.
Life Cycle
perennial
Plant Type
Vine