Knollenplatterbse

An easily grown plant, succeeding in any moderately good garden soil. It prefers a limestone soil in a warm position, and likes some shade. A climbing plant, scrambling through other plants and supporting itself by tendrils. It tends to be slightly invasive with new stems emerging at some distance from the parent plant. The earthnut pea has occasionally been cultivated for its edible root. Slugs are inordinately fond of this plant and will totally destroy it given a chance[K]. A good bee plant. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. A suckering vine sending up suckers some distance main plant [1-2]. The root pattern is tuberous with swollen potato-like roots [1-2].

Edible Parts: Root Edible Uses: Root - cooked or raw. Sweet and starchy, it is delicious when baked with a flavour that is somewhat like a sweet potato[183, K]. Taste trials consistently place this root very highly, it is certainly one of our favourites[K]. Unfortunately, yields are rather low and so the plant is only worthwhile growing as a taste treat, not as a staple crop[K].

Nitrogen fixer. Attractive flowers. Attracts wildlife.

Heimisch: Albania, Algeria, Altay, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Buryatiya, Central European Russia, Czechia-Slovakia, East European Russia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Irkutsk, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Krasnoyarsk, Krym, NW. Balkan Pen., Netherlands, North Caucasus, North European Russia, Northwest European Russia, Poland, Romania, South European Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Tadzhikistan, Transcaucasus, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, West Siberia, Xinjiang Eingeführt: Connecticut, Denmark, Great Britain, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Magadan, Maine, Manitoba, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Primorye, Québec, Saskatchewan, Sweden, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Yakutiya