| Apios fortunei | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Apios |
| Species: | A. fortunei |
| Binomial name | |
| Apios fortunei Maximowicz | |
Apios fortunei, commonly known as hodo, hodoimo, groundnut, or potatobean, is a tuber-forming member of the bean family.
The plant is a perennial climbing vine. The leaves are ovate or lanceolate, pinnate with 3–7 leaflets, and 3–7 centimetres (1–3 in) long. The flowers are whitish green, sometimes tinted light yellowish with a red-to-purple wing petal edge, or sulphurous green with rosy wing petals; they form pseudoracemes or terminal panicles, 6–26 centimetres (2+1⁄2–10 in) long. The fruit is a linear legume, 7–8 cm long and 5–6 millimetres (3⁄16–1⁄4 in) wide.
Chemically, the tubers contain starch as their predominant carbohydrate, along with smaller amounts of sucrose and glucose, and almost no fructose.
The species is native to Eastern China and Japan. In the wild, it is often found near brooks. It is one of three species in the genus known to produce edible tubers, although it has generally been considered an emergency food source as well as a medicinal plant. The flowers are showy and have ornamental potential.
References
- ^ Seabrook, Janet E.A. (1973). A Biosystematic Study of the genus Apios Fabricius (Leguminosae) with Special Reference to Apios americana Medikus (M.Sc. thesis). The University of New Brunswick. Fredericton, Canada.
- ^ Kinugasa, Haruko; Yasuto Watanbe (1992). "Nutritional Composition of the tubers of American groundnut (Apios americana Medikus)". Sonoda Women's College Studies. 26.
- ^ Hu, Shiu-ying (2005). Food Plants of China. Sha Tin, N.T., Hong Kong: The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
- ^ Hidemasa, Shimada. "Hodoimo America (USA Katamariimo)". Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2014.