Apios americana (MISC-LEGUMES)

Two varieties of tubers were selected for size in South Carolina and sent to me from the Iowa State germplasm collection. They rarely flower here but produced gorgeous pink clusters the day before very late Nov. first frost in 2021, and before frost in 2022. They have not (yet) flowered in 2025. The tubers are tasty and keep very well refrigerated in wet dirt. I grew one variety in an unwatered spot where they climbed asparagus plants instead of a trellis, and another variety near the overflowing rainbarrels (plants shown in the photos). The vines reach 10' and benefit from support but can sprawl if you have the space for that. They are used to part shade. A local variety that grows luxuriantly next to a stream at the U Michigan Botanical Garden flowered in August. I was told varieties north of the Mason-Dixon line are triploid and spread vegetatively but do not produce seeds, while the more southern varieties produce seed and thus cross. My varieties spread a few feet each year underground, via the parts that connect the tubers. I dig out the ones that appeared far from the trellis. The tubers of each variety are genetically identical. The varieties are planted far away from each other. I will dig up the tubers after the first frost kills the above-ground parts. The first frost is usually in mid to late October, but it occurred this decade in November. When Ann Arbor was in climate zone 5a (low of -22F in 1988) the first frost occurred in September, but the globe has warmed since then. Temperatures and rainfall here are erratic. The Apios ignores heavy rain or lack of rain. Tomatoes crack and get blight in wet and humid weather. Some varieties of tomatoes even die. Bean seedlings rot if planted in soil that stays wet and do not germinate if the soil is too dry. Shipping up to 4 ounces costs $5 and up to 8 ounces costs $6. No charge for the tubers themselves. I started with 5 small tubers of each variety and they multiplied quickly. Please remind me to mail you tubers between mid October and early December. They will be sent in a padded mailer. I will not have tubers from December (or January) until the next frost. My partner throws up if he eats any of these tubers. He proved this by throwing up twice after eating tubers. A gardener friend helps me dig up the groundnuts and loves to eat them. I throw up if I eat pawpaws that have been frozen or dried. A guest who ate pawpaws here reported the same effect. My partner eats lots of pawpaws and never throws up after he eats them. Eat a small amount of Apios before you eat more. AKA hopniss, American groundnut