Ipomoea pandurata

Description

I. pandurata is a twining and scrambling vine that can reach 30 ft. The stems are usually hairless and bear alternate, olive-green, cordate leaves, about 6 in long, with long, purple-tinged petioles. The flowers develop in the axils of the leaves in groups of one to five. The sepals are light green and hairless, and overlap one another. The flowers are tubular, white with a pinkish or purplish throat. The corolla is five-lobed, some 2.5 to long and wide. The stamens form a white boss in the middle of the throat. Flowers open overnight and close, on a sunny day, about mid-day, but last longer in cloudy weather. They are followed by capsules containing two to four flat seeds which are noticeably hairy along their outer edges.

Distribution and habitat

The native range is the southern and eastern parts of the United States, extending northwards into Ontario in Canada.

Ecology

Long-tongued bees such as honey bees, bumblebees and digger bees visit I. pandurata seeking nectar, as do various butterflies and moths. Tortoise beetles (subfamily Cassidinae) of various sorts and the sweet potato leaf beetle (Typophorus nigritus) feed on the leaves. The larvae of the latter two beetles feed on the swollen tuberous roots, while the larvae of the sweet potato leaf miner moth (Bedellia somnulentella), the morning-glory plume moth (Emmelina monodactyla) and the sweetpotato hornworm (Agrius cingulata) feed on the foliage. Mammalian herbivorous animals avoid this plant which tastes bitter and is toxic to some extent.

Uses

The root of this plant produces a large edible tuber that can be as much as 75 cm long and 12 cm thick, weighing up to 10 kg., with other sources alleging even larger sizes. This can be roasted and eaten, resembling a sweet potato, young specimens being best as older tubers may be bitter. Other uses for the plant include the preparation of a poultice from the roots which can be used to ease pain in rheumatic joints. The roots are also used to prepare an infusion that is said to have expectorant, diuretic and laxative effects.

References

References

1. "''Ipomoea pandurata'' (L.) G. Mey.: Man of the earth". USDA.gov.
2. J. K. Crellin & A. L. Tommie Bass, ''A Reference Guide to Medicinal Plants'' (Duke University Press, 1989), p. 305.
3. Peterson, Lee, ''A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America'', p. 20, Houghton Mifflin Company, New York City, accessed 22 November 2010. {{ISBN. 0-395-20445-3
4. Hilty, John. "Wild sweet potato". Wildflowers of Illinois: Savannas and Thickets.
5. "''Ipomoea pandurata'' – (L.) G.Mey.". Plants for a Future.
6. (1991). "Weeds of Kentucky and Adjacent States". The University Press of Kentucky.