Ipomoea batatas

Nomenclature

Accepted name/Authority/Place of publication: 

Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam., Encycl. 1: 465. 1793.

Synonyms: 

Convolvulus batatas L., Sp. Pl. 1: 154. 1753

Batatas edulis (Thunberg ex Murray) Choisy

C. candicans Solander ex Sims

C. edulis Thunberg ex Murray, Fl. Jap. 84. 1784. 

Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lamarck var. edulis (Thunberg ex Murray) Makino

I. batatas var. lobata Gagnepain & Courchet

I. edulis (Thunberg ex Murray) Makino

I. fastigiata Sweet.

Batatas edulis (Thunb.) Choisy, Mém. Soc. Phys. Genève 6: 435. 1834.  

Description

Habit: 
Herbs annual, with ellipsoidal, fusiform, or elongate subterranean tubers; sap milky; axial parts glabrous or pilose. Stems prostrate or ascending, rarely twining, green or purplish, much branched, rooting at nodes.
Leaves: 
Petiole 2.5–20 cm; leaf blade broadly ovate to circular, 4–13 × 3–13 cm, margin entire or palmately 3–5(–7)-lobed, herbaceous; lobes broadly ovate to linear-lanceolate, sparsely pilose or glabrous.
Inflorescences: 
Inflorescences 1- or 3–7-flowered; peduncle 2–10.5 cm, stout, angular; bracts early deciduous, lanceolate, 2–4 mm. Pedicel 2–10 mm.
Flowers: 
Sepals oblong or elliptic, ± unequal, glabrous or pilose abaxially, margin ciliate, apex acute, mucronulate; outer 2 sepals 7–10 mm; inner 3 sepals 8–11 mm. Corolla pink, white, pale purple to purple, with a darker center, campanulate to funnelform, 3–4 cm, glabrous. Stamens included. Pistil included; ovary pubescent or glabrous.
Fruits: 
Capsule rarely produced, ovoid or depressed globose.
Seeds: 
Seeds glabrous.
Author: 
Fang R.C. & G. Staples
References: 

Fang R.C., G. Staples, et al. 1995. Convolvulaceae in P. Raven & C.Y. Wu (eds.) Flora of China 16: 271–325.  

Cytology

Chromosome number: 
84
90
Author: 
Fang R.C. & G. Staples
References: 

Fang R.C., G. Staples, et al. 1995. Convolvulaceae in P. Raven & C.Y. Wu (eds.) Flora of China 16: 271–325.  

Biogeography, Ecology and Natural History

Distribution Map: 
Distribution: 

Originally developed in tropical America; now grown worldwide. 

Ecology: 

China: Cultivated
as a food plant and commercial crop, sometimes persisting from cultivation, but
doubtfully naturalized.  

Thailand: Grown
in home gardens and agricultural fields, sometimes persisting from cultivation;
altitude: 5 m and up. 

Phenology: 

Flowering: January, December. 

Author: 
Fang R.C. & G. Staples
References: 

Fang R.C., G. Staples, et al. 1995. Convolvulaceae in P. Raven & C.Y. Wu (eds.) Flora of China 16: 271–325.  

Staples, G. 2010. Convolvulaceae. Fl. Thailand 10(3): 330–468. 

Other information

Common names and uses: 
fan shu (Chinese). Tae-lo, man khaeo, man thet, mak-oi, man (Thai), man thet (Hmong?).
General comments: 

Ipomoea batatas is a productive and adaptable crop. Its tubers are an important source of food, starch, and raw material for producing alcohol. The stems and leaves can be used as livestock forage. 

Plants may persist for several years after cultivation ceases. An extensive cultivar nomenclature exists to accommodate the numerous shapes, colours, and sizes of storage organs. Several cultivars with coloured foliage are now sold as ornamentals in the nursery trade. 

Authorship for webpage

Editor: 
George Staples, Esmond Er
Contributors: 
Classification: 
Ipomoea batatas
Wed, 2011-09-21 06:41 -- Esmond
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