One of the common ingredients in indigenous diets from Canada to the Gulf coast, Apios Americana, also known colloquially as Indian Groundnut, can be founded widely in the eastern half of North America. A counterclockwise-twining vine in the pea family, this perennial plant produces both edible tubers and podded beans. The vines can extend up to ten feet, producing half-inch pink, purple or crimson flowers resembling wisteria in form and scent from July to September. The moniliform roots string together numerous fleshy tubers varying in size from one to eight centimeters. The plant requires at least two years of growth to maturity.
