Sweetpotato
Ipomoea batatas
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Convolvulaceae
- Genus:
- Ipomoea
- Species:
- Ipomoea batatas
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Annual | Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Forb/herb , Vine
- Height:
- 1-2 ft
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun
- Drought Tolerance:
- High
- Bloom Months:
- jun, jul, aug, sep, oct, nov
- Bloom Colors:
- pink, purple, white
- Food Forest:
- Plant contains edible parts
- Ground Cover:
- Yes
Native Range
United States: Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Navassa Island, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Palau, South Carolina, Texas, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands, Utah, Virginia, Virgin Islands
Host Plant for Caterpillars
American plum borer (Euzophera semifuneralis), Armyworm moth (Pseudaletia unipuncta), Athetis miranda, banana leaf miner (Bedellia orchilella), banana moth (Opogona sacchari), beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua), beet webworm moth (Spoladea recurvalis), Black cutworm (Agrotis ipsilon), Celery leaftier (Udea rubigalis), clover cutworm (Agrotis gladiaria), corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea), darksided cutworm (Euxoa messoria), dingy cutworm (Feltia jaculifera), Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), Hawaiian sweetpotato leafroller (Udea despecta), Helcystogramma melissia, Herpetogramma ipomoealis, Herpetogramma sp., Megastes sp., Mexican leafroller (Amorbia emigratella), Pink-spotted hawk moth (Agrius cingulata), Southern armyworm (Spodoptera eridania), Soybean Looper (Pseudoplusia includens), Sweet potato moth (Helcystogramma convolvuli), Sweetpotato Armyworm (Spodoptera dolichos), Sweetpotato Leafroller Moth (Lygropia tripunctata), T-moth (Emmelina monodactyla), underworld dart (Agrotis subterranea), Virginia Tiger Moth (Spilosoma virginica), White-lined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata), Yellow-striped armyworm (Spodoptera ornithogalli), Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia)
Reported Fauna Sightings
Bees: American bumble bee (Bombus pensylvanicus), American bumble bee (Bombus pensylvanicus)
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- rich, well-drained loamy soil
- pH:
- 5.5 - 6.5 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- excellent drainage required
- Moisture:
- consistently moist
- Notes:
- prefers fertile soils with good organic content