Apios

A slender, twining vine with compound leaves. The small, fragrant, purple flowers appear in late summer. Spreads by means of its root system. Will grow in soil conditions ranging from wet to dry. The root tubers, which resemble small potatoes, grow in strings just below the surface of the ground. They are edible and nutritious, and were highly valued as food by the American Indians and early colonists. Work has begun in recent years to develop this species as a cultivated crop. This year we will have available plants propagated from local, wild stock, as well as plants grown from seed collected by researchers at Louisiana State University during the early stages of their breeding work. We will be offering plants released in 1997 from the breeding program at the University of South-western Louisiana (where the work begun at LSU is now being continued). The last selection mentioned (USL) is probably the best choice if food production is your main interest. The cold hardiness of the LSU and USL selections has not yet been tested here, although they will likely prove hardy at least to zone 5. If you have a preference as to which stock you receive, please indicate this on your order - we should be able to accomodate. Plant labels will indicate their origin.