Amphicarpaea bracteata (L.) Fernald var. bracteata

American hog-peanut, ground bean, American hogpeanut

American hog-peanut is native to eastern North America.

Plants: Plants look like low-lying mats of foliage, but at close quarters they are actually thin-stemmed vines 2–8′ (60–243 cm) long. Small tendrils hang onto nearby plants. Stems are less than 1/32″ (1 mm) thick, light green to red­dish green, and covered with thin flattened (appressed) hairs.

Leaves: Leaves are alternate, in groups of three delicate leaflets, along twining stems. The central leaflet, called the terminal leaflet, is up to 2½″ (6.3 cm) long about about the same width. Leaflets are ovate to ovate-rhombic, with sharp tips. The other two leaflets tend to be a bit smaller. Leaflets are mostly hairless on top, and usually hairier and lighter in color below.

Flowers: Pink to white to pale lavender, ½–¾″ (1.3–1.9 cm) long. Open flowers are cross-pollinated, while closed flowers are self-pollinating. Flowers are tubular in shape, with an upright-facing banner, 2 side wings, and a keel. The edges of the banners are often folded backward. Closed flowers may occur above or below ground. Open flowers occur in compact clusters of 2-15 along the vine. They appear from August to September.

Fruits: Open flowers form flat pods, ½–1½″ (1.5–4 cm) long, pointed at both ends, containing 1-4 seeds. When mature, the dried pods burst to disperse the seeds. Closed flowers produce a pod containing a single seed.

Habitats: Woodlands, thickets, low wooded areas along streams, and moist slopes.

Edibility: Below-ground pear-shaped seeds are “sweet and delicious,” eaten raw or cooked, tasting like shelled garden beans. Seeds from above-ground seed pods are said by some sources to be inedible, and by others to be edible after cooking.

Online References:

References:

Older scientific or horticultural names

Amphicarpaea bracteata var. bracteata description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.

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