American Groundnut is a climbing native vine with attractive compound leaves and clusters of reddish-brown, pink, or purplish pea-shaped flowers. It grows along streambanks, woodland edges, and sunny or lightly shaded thickets. Below ground, it produces edible tubers linked like beads on a string. The plant can climb several feet using nearby shrubs, fences, or supports. This was a key staple food for indigenous groups across the entire Northeast, and the largest of each harvest was then left and spread to encourage new growth year after year. A wild, passive food crop.
Hopniss or American Groundnut (Apios americana)
•Pollinators: Flowers attract native bees, bumblebees, and butterflies.
•Wildlife food:
•Tubers are eaten by small mammals.
•Flowers support long-tongued bees such as bumblebees (Bombus spp.).
•Vines provide light cover for insects and amphibians near wet areas.
•Nitrogen fixer: As a legume, it improves soil by fixing nitrogen, helping surrounding plants grow.
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