PlantsVegetables & Roots
Groundnut
Apios americana
Chicago-region native. Suited to zone 6a.
Edible tuber vine and nitrogen-fixing legume
ModerateVegetables & RootsAlso Shrubs & VinesAlso Rain GardenEdibleRain garden
- Light
- Full sun–part shade
- Moisture
- Medium–moist
- Mature size
- 10–30 ft vine
- Spacing
- Dedicated trellis
- Bloom or harvest
- Flowers Jul–Aug; tubers fall after 2+ years
- How it spreads
- Vigorous twining vine
- What to buy
- Tubers or nursery plants
- When to plant
- Apr–May
In the design
Give it a dedicated trellis and permanent root zone.
If you eat it
Cooked tubers; beans are sometimes used only with expert preparation
Eat only positively identified, thoroughly cooked tubers
Only eat what you planted and can name. This is not a foraging or medical guide.
