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Groundnut
Habit (mature) · Bob Richmond / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Limited coverage
Groundnut
Apios americana
A herbaceous, tuberous perennial vine of eastern North America that twines 8-16 feet up surrounding vegetation through moist thickets, bottomlands, marsh and streambank edges. From mid-summer into fall it carries fragrant, maroon-to-reddish-brown pea-like flowers in compact racemes from the leaf axils, followed by edible seeds; the underground tubers are an edible, protein-rich staple long gathered as Indian potato. A native legume and a documented larval host for the Silver-spotted Skipper, it spreads vigorously by seed and tubers.
Native: 39 US states + 5 CA provinces
Review: Source-backed
Climate fit: broad (77/100)
Pollinator
Edible
Structure
Light
Full sun / Part sun / Part shade
Water
Consistent moisture
Mature size
96-192" tall · 24" apart
Hardy in zones
4a-9b
very cold to frosty winters
Summer heat range
Cool-Warm
cool to warm summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.
Native in Illinois
Yes
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A documented larval host for the Skipper butterflies and 1 other species — caterpillars feed on its foliage before becoming the next generation.
Wildlife relationships
Cold hardiness
Now
Zone 6b
USDA
Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day
Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer
Well-suited
2050
Zone 7b
Plotwright
Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)
Well-suited
In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.
✓
Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.
Heat tolerance
Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…
Where this plant fits
Suitable across 41 ecoregions — 40 climate-resilient through 2070 · 1 suited today. Best matches first.
Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests
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Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests
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Arizona Mountains forests
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Atlantic coastal pine barrens
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Blue Mountains forests
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Canadian Aspen forests and parklands
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Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests
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Central Tallgrass prairie
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Central-Southern Cascades Forests
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Chilean Matorral
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Sources & citations
Cite this page
For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.
Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Groundnut (Apios americana). Retrieved 2026, June 5, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/groundnut
Sources for every fact
Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited — 18 source-backed.
Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder
Botanical research database
Backs 17 fields
Identity
Summary
Plant type
Light
Moisture
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Size
Spacing
Habit
Design roles
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Regional guidance
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Wikimedia Commons
Photo · CC BY 2.0
Backs 1 field
Image
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Database
Botanical research database
Community photos
The photos above are our reviewed reference set, curated for accuracy.
Plotwright
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