Ipomoea Species, Morning Glory, Wild Potato Vine, Man of the Earth

I have NOT grown this plant, it grows itself quite well. I live in the Cincinnati area, and this plant grows profusely here. It is comi...Read Moreng up everywhere, this year in particular. Perhaps the seeds are more fertile in the plants here, I don't know, but there are lots of the the things here, which is good news considering the fact that it is endangered nationally.

It is not a pest, or invasive, since it was here prior to us whities arriving. This is a plant that really should be developed into a crop plant, since it produces such a huge root. If it was selectively bred for flavor, root size, depth of growth, number of tubers produced, etc.

Just a thought...

We live in Spain and we are very interested in this plant. We would like to buy some bulbs or roots. If you have any ideas please send a ...Read Mored-mail!
Thanks

Someone I know in Sweden grows this plant. He says he has grown it for four years and it flowers regularly.

It is not sur...Read Moreprising that the plant survives there, as it is a z5 plant, although the wet winters may put it at risk, but considering the low sunlight levels in Sweden, compared to the US, it is surprising that it flowers reasonably well.

Hearing of his success I hope to trial this plant in dull wet old England. I will plant it in gravelly sandy soil and let you know of the results.

Ipomoea pandurata is one of the 'morning glories' native to the Eastern United States.

Although the USDA lists it as 'inva...Read Moresive' this is a function of the fact that many, if not most vining plants interfere with contemporary agricultural practices. It is not invasive in the way that Japanese Honeysuckle and Oriental Bittersweet are invasive, and it serves as a host plant to 39 known species of native butterflies and moths.

In fact, this plant is becoming more and more difficult to find, even as seed, although it is high on Douglas Tallamy's list of '20 Most Valuable Native Plant Genera in Terms of Supporting Lepidoptera Species', coming in at #5 on the perennials list!

The same is also true of Ipomoea lacunosa (Whitestar).