Apios americana (potato bean, Indian potato, ground-nut) is a leguminous perennial plant native to North America. It seems that the Native American Indians ate it as a source of nutrition. In Japan, it is called “Amerika-hodoimo”, and it is said that it was brought to Aomori prefecture mixed with apple saplings ordered from North America during the Meiji era. Plants belonging to the leguminous genus Hodoimo, which are native to North America, are climbing plants that grow in the soil. A farmer named ‘Toriyabe’ started full-scale cultivation in 1996 and has now expanded to about 15 people. Flowers are fragrant purple flowers. The root is as long as 1 to 2 m, and many rugby ball-shaped sweet potatoes about 3 cm in length are attached like a string of beads. The vines grow to about 2.5 m and are suitable for green curtains (an energy-saving method for controlling temperature rises in buildings).

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