| + | Apios tuberosa, Moench. Groundnut. Wild Bean. Fig. 233. Four to 8 ft., climbing over bushes: root bearing strings of edible tubers, 1-2 in. long: lfts. 5-7, ovate-lanceolate: fls fragrant, chocolate-brown, the standard very broad and turned back, the keel long, incurved and scythe-shaped. July, Aug.—Common in low grounds and swamps. The fr. often fails to mature. Prop, by the tubers. 2-4 of which should be planted together at a depth of 3-4 in.; also, by seeds. Grows well in the wild border, in any loose, rich soil. Under these conditions, the plant covers a trellis or other support in a comparatively short time. Dry tubers offered by seedsmen are likely to start slowly. The brown of the fls. is a very unusual color in hardy herbs. Likely to become a weed in rockeries and wild gardens. |