Ipomoea pandurata
| Ipomoea pandurata | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 11' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Ipomoea pandurata (common name: wild potato vine)
Propagation: Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water, or scarify the seed, and sow in individual pots in a greenhouse in early spring. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 3 weeks at 22°c. Plants are extremely resentful of root disturbance, even when they are quite small, and should be potted up almost as soon as they germinate[1]. Grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter then plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of side shoots in a peaty soil.
Layering.
Cultivation: Requires a rich well-drained loam in a warm sunny position[2].
The hardiest member of the genus, it tolerates frozen soil and should survive winter temperatures down to at least -10°c[3].
A climbing plant, supporting itself by twining around the branches of other plants[1].
A very ornamental plant[4]. This species has become a troublesome weed in many warm countries and is difficult to eradicate because of its deep root[1].
Range: Eastern N. America - Connecticut to Florida, west to Texas, Kansas and Michigan.
Habitat: Fields, hedgerows and roadsides in dry open or partially shaded areas[5][6].
Edibility: Root - cooked[7]. The young ones are best[6], they become very acrid as they get old[8]. The roots can be up to 75cm long and 12cm in diameter[8][9] and can weigh 7 kilos[9]. Roots weighing 10 kilos or more are not unknown[10]. They are best if given a long roasting[11]. Roasted roots taste like sweet potato but with some bitterness[9].
Medicinal: A poultice of the root is applied to aching joints in the treatment of rheumatism[12][13].
A tea made from the dried root is diuretic, expectorant and laxative[8][12][13]. It has been used in the treatment of strangury and calculus diseases, abdominal pains etc[13]. It also slightly influences the lungs, liver and kidneys without excessive diuresis or catharsis[8][13]. Caution should be employed because the plant can be strongly laxative[14].
Usage: An infusion of the plant has been used for soaking sweet potatoes in order to keep away bugs and moles[13].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: There is a report that the root could be poisonous[10].
Also Known As: Convulvulus candicans. C. panduratus.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Grey-Wilson, Christopher and Victoria Matthews. Gardening on Walls. Collins, 1983.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2. Pan Books, London, 1998.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Diggs, George and Barney Lipscomb. Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas. Botanical Research Institute, 1999.
- ↑ Saunders, Charles. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1976.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.