Rank Species | Genus Apios Higher classification Apios | |
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Similar Apios, Viola sororia, Legumes, Viola palmata, Potato bean | ||
Apios priceana is a rare species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common names Price's potato-bean, Price's groundnut, and traveler's delight. It is a climbing yellow-green vine in the growing from a stout, potato-like tuber. It is native to the U.S. states of Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Tennessee. It occurred in Illinois in the past but its population there was destroyed. There are about 25 known occurrences. It is federally listed as a threatened species.
The vines may be up to 3 to 5 meters long with fragrant pale pink or greenish-yellow pea-like flowers which bloom in the summer. They are pollinated by bees and the long-tailed skipper (Urbanus proteus). Each vine leaf is about 20–30 cm (8–12 in) long, with seven leaflets. Leaves are alternately arranged on the stem. The plant's large underground tuber distinguishes it from other Apios species. It was probably used as a food source by Indians and early white settlers. The fruit is a long slender pod about 10 to 15 centimeters (3.9 to 5.9 inches) long.
The plant is usually associated with openings in the forest canopy in mixed hardwood stands where ravine slopes grade into creek or stream bottoms.
The threatened status of Price's potato bean is primarily due to habitat destruction, but other impacts such as disease, predation, and historical tuber collection have also contributed.
