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. The plant is native to the Southeastern United States.
| Apios priceana | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Apios |
| Species: | A. priceana
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| Binomial name | |
| Apios priceana | |
Description
editThe vines may be up to 3 to 5 meters (10 to 16+1⁄2 feet) long. It has a large underground tuber, distinguishing it from other Apios species. The leaves are alternately arranged on the stem, about 20–30 centimetres (8–12 inches) long, and comprising seven leaflets. The fragrant pale pink or greenish-yellow pea-like flowers bloom in the summer.[4] The fruit is a long slender pod about 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in) long.
Distribution and habitat
editThe plant 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.[1] It is usually associated with openings in the forest canopy in mixed hardwood stands where ravine slopes grade into creek or stream bottoms.
Ecology
editThe flowers are pollinated by bees and the long-tailed skipper (Urbanus proteus).[4]
The threatened status of the species is primarily due to habitat destruction, but other impacts such as disease, predation, and historical tuber collection have also contributed.
Conservation
editWith about 50 to 100 known occurrences,[1][4] the plant is federally listed as a threatened species.[2][3]
Uses
editThe plant was probably used as a food source by Indigenous peoples of the Americas and early white settlers.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d NatureServe (5 January 2024). "Apios priceana". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Price's potato-bean (Apios priceana)". Environmental Conservation Online System. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ a b 55 FR 429
- ^ a b c "Apios priceana". Center for Plant Conservation. 2010-03-04. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2022-08-17.
External links
edit
Media related to Apios priceana at Wikimedia Commons- USDA Plants Profile
- Price's Potato Bean
- USFWS. Threatened status for Apios priceana (Price's Potato-bean). Federal Register January 5, 1990.
