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Sweet Potato🍠
Ipomoea batatas
サツマイモ
A climbing perennial (treated as annual in cultivation) native to Central and South America. The enlarged tuberous roots are used in a variety of dishes including roasted sweet potato, tempura, imo-kenpi (candied sweet potato sticks), and sweet potato desserts. It spread throughout Japan via Satsuma (Kagoshima) during the Edo period, hence the name 'Satsuma-imo.' Rich in beta-carotene, dietary fiber, and vitamin C.
Identification Points
- ✓Climbing vine that spreads along the ground
- ✓Leaves are highly variable, from heart-shaped to 3–5 lobed
- ✓Pale purple funnel-shaped flowers resembling morning glory (same genus)
- ✓Fusiform to tuberous enlarged roots (tuberous roots) form underground
Habitat
Fields, farmland, and sandy soils
Season
Transplanting: May–June, harvest: September–November
3D Specimen Model
Kyushu University, Shikano Lab (CC0)
View on Sketchfab→Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf dissection
Dissected
Leaf shape
Cordate
Growth form
Vine
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Petal count
5 petals
Petal fusion
Fused
Habitat
Cultivated
Stipules
Absent
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Ovary position
Superior
Stamen count
5
Phylogenetic Positionヒルガオ科 →
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Solanales > Convolvulaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene
Evolution Notes
Convolvulaceae includes morning glory, bindweed, and sweet potato. Sweet potato evolved tuberous roots (enlarged roots) as storage organs, a different strategy from potato which uses tubers (enlarged stems).
View on evolution timeline →Sources & References
AI-generated, needs verification