CULTURAL DIRECTIONS 
435 
SWEET POTATO (Ipomoca batatas) 
623. History. — There is no definite knowledge of the 
origin of the sweet potato, although it is believed the 
plant is native to the West Indies and Central America. 
624. Botany. — The sweet potato is perennial, although 
it is grown as an annual. It belongs to the morning- 
glory family or Convolvulaceie, the flowers with purplish 
throats and white margins, resembling those of the 
morning glory. The blooms are rare and may not pro- 
duce seed. The trailing vines strike root at the joints 
and bear leaves which vary greatly in shape, being of 
three general types, viz., entire and not lobed, shoul- 
dered and lobed, and deeply cut and lobed. The general 
form of the leaf is heart-shape or halberd-shape. The 
tubers are also variable in shape, size and color. Some 
are long' and cylindrical, others short, thick and blunt 
at the ends. The skin may be whitish, dull straw-color, 
light red or purple. The flesh is also variable in color, 
texture, moisture and quality. Classification of varieties 
is usually based upon the shape of the leaves. 
625. Importance. — The sweet potato is one of the most 
important vegetables grown in the United States. It is 
consumed in enormous quantities throughout the South, 
where it is generally grown. The average annual pro- 
duction in the United States is over 100.000,000 bushels. 
Every northern market is well supplied during most of 
the year. The sweet potato is grown much more ex- 
tensively than the white potato in the southern states, 
and is a popular vegetable in practically all tropical coun- 
tries, constituting in many instances an important source 
of food. The tubers are fried, baked, boiled and braised, 
used for pies like pumpkins, and made into flour. A con- 
siderable quantity is canned. In some sections the pota- 
toes are fed to sheep, hogs and cattle. They may become 
important for the manufacture of denatured alcohol. 
