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Amphicarpaea bracteata (L.) Fernald var. bracteata

American hog-peanut, ground bean, American hogpeanut

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionMagnoliophytaFlowering plants, also known as angiosperms
ClassMagnoliopsidaDicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
SubclassRosidaeRoses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
OrderFabalesLegumes (pea and bean families)
FamilyFabaceaeLegume family (peas and beans)
GenusAmphicarpaeaGreek for two-seeded, referring to two types of seeds
SpeciesbracteataBearing bracts (modified leaves)
var.bracteataBearing bracts (modified leaves)

About plant names...

American hog-peanut is native to eastern North America. It inhabits woodlands, thickets, low wooded areas along streams, and moist slopes.

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.

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:

Illinois Wildflowers

Wikipedia

Gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org

Plants for a Future

Minnesota Wildflowers

References:

Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 101

Amphicarpaea bracteata (American hog-peanut, ground bean, American hogpeanut)

7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Penn­syl­vania · ≈ 6 × 10″ (16 × 24 cm)

Amphicarpaea bracteata (American hog-peanut, ground bean, American hogpeanut)

8/25/2019 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts

Amphicarpaea bracteata (American hog-peanut, ground bean, American hogpeanut)

8/25/2019 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts

Amphicarpaea bracteata (American hog-peanut, ground bean, American hogpeanut)

7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Penn­syl­vania · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)

Amphicarpaea bracteata (American hog-peanut, ground bean, American hogpeanut)

8/25/2019 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts

Amphicarpaea bracteata (American hog-peanut, ground bean, American hogpeanut)

8/25/2019 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts

Amphicarpaea bracteata (American hog-peanut, ground bean, American hogpeanut)

8/29/2023 · Stetser Preserve, Jefferson, Maine · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)

Amphicarpaea bracteata (American hog-peanut, ground bean, American hogpeanut)

8/22/2020 · Crossbill Trail, Hidden Valley Nature Center, Jefferson, Maine · ≈ 3 × 4½″ (7.9 × 11 cm)

Amphicarpaea bracteata (American hog-peanut, ground bean, American hogpeanut)

7/18/2020 · Woodward Point Preserve, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)

Amphicarpaea monoica (L.) Elliott

 

Amphicarpaea bracteata var. bracteata description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 17 Oct 2023.

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Amphicarpaea bracteata (American hog-peanut, ground bean, American hogpeanut)

9/16/2016 · Sieur de Monts Botanical Gardens, Bar Harbor, Maine

Amphicarpaea bracteata (American hog-peanut, ground bean, American hogpeanut)

7/1/2023 · Pocahontas State Park, Chesterfield, Virginia

Amphicarpaea bracteata (American hog-peanut, ground bean, American hogpeanut)

8/26/2018 · Henry E. Cowdrey Nature Center, Lunenburg, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 4 × 6″ (11 × 16 cm)

Amphicarpaea bracteata (American hog-peanut, ground bean, American hogpeanut)

8/26/2018 · Henry E. Cowdrey Nature Center, Lunenburg, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 4 × 6″ (11 × 16 cm)

Amphicarpaea bracteata (American hog-peanut, ground bean, American hogpeanut)

8/25/2019 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts

Amphicarpaea bracteata (American hog-peanut, ground bean, American hogpeanut)

8/29/2023 · Stetser Preserve, Jefferson · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm)

Amphicarpaea bracteata (American hog-peanut, ground bean, American hogpeanut)

7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Penn­syl­vania · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)

Amphicarpaea bracteata (American hog-peanut, ground bean, American hogpeanut)

8/26/2018 · Henry E. Cowdrey Nature Center, Lunenburg, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)

Amphicarpaea bracteata (American hog-peanut, ground bean, American hogpeanut)

(The wide leaves are Desmodium nudiflorum) · 7/1/2023 · Pocahontas State Park, Chesterfield, Virginia

Amphicarpaea bracteata (American hog-peanut, ground bean, American hogpeanut)

8/25/2019 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts

Amphicarpaea bracteata (American hog-peanut, ground bean, American hogpeanut)

8/22/2020 · Crossbill Trail, Hidden Valley Nature Center, Jefferson, Maine · ≈ 4 × 6″ (11 × 16 cm)

Range:

About this map...