Perhaps the best-known North American wild tuber, Apios americana is a beautiful plant. Climbing vine grows beautiful flowers, beans and edible tubers. Ground nuts require two main things to succeed when cultivated: rich, moist soil (heavily mulched loam is best), and something to climb on. The structure can be built, much like the different trellises gardeners use for peas and beans (Apios americana is a bean, though the edible part is the tuber), or it can be another plant, a shrub or even a small tree. Best in stews or soups, it can also be fried or mixed with other tubers and mashed. The tuber is exceptionally nutritious, with a reported 17% protein content (three times what is found in potatoes). It also stores well. The twining herbaceous vine grows to 10′ long. Light shade to full sun. Photo courtesy of Illinois Wildflowers.
