wild potato vine
Ipomoea pandurata
The root is so large and moisture-rich that it was historically used as a reliable water and food source during droughts, earning the name 'Man-of-the-Earth'.
- Scientific name
- Ipomoea pandurata
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Solanales › Convolvulaceae › Ipomoea
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Open deciduous forests, forest margins, rocky slopes, and dry upland fields.
- Diet
- Autotroph (Photosynthesis)
- Range
- Eastern United States, Central United States, Southern Ontario
- Size
- Climbing vines up to 9 meters; taproots can weigh over 13 kilograms.
- Lifespan
- Perennial (10-25 years)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation and intensive herbicide use in roadside and agricultural maintenance.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to touch. The massive tuber is edible only if cooked thoroughly; however, seeds contain ergoline alkaloids and are toxic if ingested. Avoid disturbing the soil around the delicate root crown.
Ipomoea pandurata , known as man of the earth , wild potato vine , manroot , wild sweet potato , and wild rhubarb , is a species of herbaceous perennial vine native to North America. It is a twining plant of woodland verges and rough places with heart-shaped leaves and funnel-shaped white flowers with a pinkish throat. The large tuberous roots can be roasted and eaten, or can be used to make a poultice or infusion. When uncooked, the roots have purgative...
Photo: Jim Duggan, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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