Description
The sweet potato is a vine whose large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. The sweet potato is only distantly related to the potato (Solanum tuberosum)The genus Ipomoea that contains the sweet potato also includes several garden flowers called morning glories, though that term is not usually extended to Ipomoea batatas. Some cultivars of Ipomoea batatas are grown as houseplants because of its attractive foilage. It is a perennial vine, bearing alternate heart-shaped or palmately lobed leaves and medium-sized morning-glory like flowers that are white in color with a purple throat. The edible tuberous root is long and tapered, with a smooth skin whose color ranges between red, purple, brown and white. Its flesh ranges between white, yellow, orange, and purple. The root is eaten roasted or boiled in India.
| Botanical Name | Common Name | Tamil | Hindi | Malayalam |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ipomoea batatas | Sweet Potato | பூமி சக்கரை கிழங்கு | शकरकं द / Shakarakand | മധുരക്കിഴങ്ങ്/ Madhurakkilannu |
