# American Groundnut (*apios americana*) The American Groundnut is a special plant that grows beautiful flowers and has tasty tubers underground. It can be found near water and is an important food source for many animals! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger - **Snaps:** 4 - **Habitat:** Wetlands, riverbanks, and along the edges of forests - **Also known as:** Apios, Indian Potato, Wild Bean ![American Groundnut](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Apios_americana.jpg&width=800) Photo: Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apios_americana.jpg) ## Appearance The American Groundnut is a vigorous, slender vine with compound leaves, typically featuring 5-7 oval leaflets. It has unique, pea-like flowers that range from reddish-purple to brownish-maroon, clustered tightly in dense spikes. These distinctive flowers stand out against its green foliage. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Fabales - **Family:** Fabaceae - **Genus:** Apios ## Interesting facts - Each vine can produce a chain of starchy tubers, sometimes weighing over a pound together! - Even famed explorers like Lewis and Clark noted the American Groundnut's importance as food. - Its tasty tubers were a vital food source for early Native Americans for thousands of years! - Some call it "potato bean" because it grows both underground tubers and edible bean-like pods. ## Special abilities - **Underground Super Storage:** American Groundnut can grow edible tubers deep underground, storing energy to survive winter and sprout back next year. - **Nitrogen Booster:** It teams up with tiny soil microbes to pull nitrogen from the air, enriching the soil for itself and other plants. - **Climbing Crusher:** Its twining stems can climb high on other plants, reaching sunlight and spreading its leaves widely. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 30-300 cm - **Spread:** 50-200 cm - **Flower Size:** 1-2 cm - **Bloom Season:** Summer to fall - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Nectars on its distinctive purplish-brown flowers. - **Pollinates:** Common Eastern Bumblebee (*Bombus impatiens*) — Visits the flowers for nectar and pollen. - **Eats:** [White-tailed Deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-tailed-deer) (*Odocoileus virginianus*) — Browses on its foliage and young shoots. - **Eats:** [Northern Bobwhite](https://www.snappit.app/explore/northern-bobwhite) (*Colinus virginianus*) — Feeds on the seeds produced in its pods. ## Traits - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material. - [Aquatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aquatic): Aquatic habitats encompass environments where organisms live predominantly in water, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and wetlands. - [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger No special safety notes yet. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify American Groundnut? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is American Groundnut? 30-300 cm ### How wide does American Groundnut spread? 50-200 cm ### How big are the flowers on American Groundnut? 1-2 cm ### When does American Groundnut bloom? Summer to fall ### Is American Groundnut edible? Yes ### Is American Groundnut toxic? None ### What is American Groundnut's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Ashley River Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/ashley-river-historic-district) — South Carolina, US · Historic District - [Georgia Institute of Technology Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/georgia-institute-of-technology-historic-district) — Georgia, US · Historic District - [Techwood Homes](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/techwood-homes) — Georgia, US · Historic District - [Caldwell Street Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/caldwell-street-historic-district) — South Carolina, US · Historic District - [Sunfish Creek State Forest](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/sunfish-creek-state-forest) — Ohio, US · Forest - [Lakeside Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/lakeside-park) — Virginia, US · Park [View all places to see American Groundnut](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/american-groundnut) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [American Groundnut: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/american-groundnut)