Question: I have found what I think is wild bean. I am in north central Massachusetts. The plant is on my …
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Question
I have found what I think is wild bean. I am in north central Massachusetts. The plant is on my property and is along the shoreline of a lake. Is it found this far north?
Answer
Dear Kathi6565, good afternoon. You have found something very special. This is Apios americana (groundnut). In the northern part of its range, this species is almost exclusively sterile (because these populations are triploid with three sets of chromosomes). In the south, they are mainly fertile and diploid. You have photographed a fertile diploid in the north (quite rare). Wonderful discovery.
