965

Ipomoea batatas (L.) Poir.

Family	:	Convolvulaceae
Local name	:	English - Sweet Potato Malayalam - Madurakizhangu
Flowering and fruiting period	:	December-March
Distribution	:	Probably native of Tropical South America; now widely cultivated throughout the tropics
Distribution in Kerala	:	All Districts
Habitat	:	Cultivated
Endemic/Exotic	:	Exotic
Uses	:	Used for the treatment of several diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, dysentery, constipation, fatigue, arthritis, rheumatoid diseases, meningitis, kidney ailments and inflammations.
Key Botanical Characters: Vines; the stems usually somewhat succulent but sometimes slender and herbaceous; perennial, glabrous or pubescent. Leaves variable, from cordate to ovate, entire, dentate or often deeply lobed, glabrous or sometimes pubescent. Inflorescences of solitary or few-flowered cymes. Flowers absent in some varieties, if present on pedicels 3-12 mm long; sepals oblong, the outer sepals acuminate and cuspidate, (8-) 10-15 mm long, mostly pubescent or only ciliate; corolla with a lavender to purple-lavender limb and darker throat, white in some varieties. Fruits rarely formed, ovoid, glabrous; seeds rotund, glabrous.