Hog-peanut facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hog-peanut |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Inflorescence | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Synonyms | |
|
l
|
The Amphicarpaea bracteata, also known as hog-peanut or ground bean, is a fascinating plant. It's a type of vine that can live for one year or many years. This plant belongs to the legume family, which includes peas and beans. You can find it growing naturally in woodlands, thickets, and damp areas across eastern North America.
About the Hog-Peanut
What it Looks Like
The hog-peanut plant has leaves made up of three smaller parts called leaflets. These leaves grow in an alternating pattern along its stems, which like to twine around other plants or objects.
Flowers and How They Grow
The hog-peanut produces pretty pink to white flowers. These flowers bloom from late summer into autumn. What's really cool is that this plant has two different kinds of flowers:
- Open flowers: These flowers are open, just like most flowers you see. They allow for cross-pollination, meaning pollen can move between different plants.
- Closed flowers: These flowers never open! They stay closed and self-pollinating, meaning they pollinate themselves. These special closed flowers can grow both above the ground and even underground.
Amazing Seeds and Roots
The seeds from the open flowers grow inside a flat pod. This pod has pointed ends. When the pod is ready, it dries out and twists open to release the seeds.
The seeds from the closed flowers are different. They grow in round pods, and each pod holds just one seed. These seeds can grow underground, especially from flowers on special stems called stolons. This is how the plant got its name, "hog-peanut," because its underground seeds are a bit like peanuts!
Both the roots and the cooked seeds that grow underground are safe to eat.
