tuberous vetchling, Lathyrus tuberosus

Some plants in the pea family are prized for their edible fruit or seeds. Some for their beautiful or occasionally fragrant flowers. Some for edible greens. Some for edible tubers. And of course many have root nodules that improve soil fertility. Tuberous vetchling? It does it all! Small wonder that we brought it from Eurasia. It's been considered as a candidate for permaculture, the practice of bringing agriculture in line with ecological concerns. So why don't we see fields full of this beauty? It's inefficient, taking several years for the tubers to fully mature, and it doesn't produce very many on each plant. Tuberous vetchling has been found wild in CT, IA, IL, KY, MA, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VT, WA, WI, WV, MB, ON, and QC. Lenawee Co MI, 6/19/11. Bean family, Fabaceae.