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Common Name: Wild Potato Vine

General Information

Ipomoea pandurata is a Perennial Climber up to 3.50 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

There is a report that the root could be poisonous[].

Botanical References

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Range

Eastern N. America - Connecticut to Florida, west to Texas, Kansas and Michigan.

Habitat

Fields, hedgerows and roadsides in dry open or partially shaded areas[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial Climber
Height	3.50 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a rich well-drained loam in a warm sunny position[].
The hardiest member of the genus, it tolerates frozen soil and should survive winter temperatures down to at least -10°c[].
A climbing plant, supporting itself by twining around the branches of other plants[].
A very ornamental plant[]. This species has become a troublesome weed in many warm countries and is difficult to eradicate because of its deep root[].

Edible Uses

Root - cooked[]. The young ones are best[], they become very acrid as they get old[]. The roots can be up to 75cm long and 12cm in diameter[, ] and can weigh 7 kilos[]. Roots weighing 10 kilos or more are not unknown[]. They are best if given a long roasting[]. Roasted roots taste like sweet potato but with some bitterness[].

Medicinal

A poultice of the root is applied to aching joints in the treatment of rheumatism[, ].
A tea made from the dried root is diuretic, expectorant and laxative[, , ]. It has been used in the treatment of strangury and calculus diseases, abdominal pains etc[]. It also slightly influences the lungs, liver and kidneys without excessive diuresis or catharsis[, ]. Caution should be employed because the plant can be strongly laxative[].

Other Uses

An infusion of the plant has been used for soaking sweet potatoes in order to keep away bugs and moles[].

Propagation

Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water, or scarify the seed, and sow in individual pots in a greenhouse in early spring. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 3 weeks at 22°c. Plants are extremely resentful of root disturbance, even when they are quite small, and should be potted up almost as soon as they germinate[]. Grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter then plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of side shoots in a peaty soil.
Layering.