''Ipomoea pandurata'', known as man of the earth,
wild potato vine, manroot, wild sweet potato, and wild rhubarb, is a species of
herbaceous perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...
vine
A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themsel ...
native to North America. It is a twining plant of woodland verges and rough places with heart-shaped leaves and funnel-shaped white flowers with a pinkish throat. The large tuberous roots can be roasted and eaten, or can be used to make a poultice or infusion. When uncooked, the roots have
purgative
Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation.
Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...
properties.
[Peterson, Lee, ''A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America'', p. 20, Houghton Mifflin Company, New York City, accessed 22 November 2010. ]
Description
''I. pandurata'' is a twining and scrambling vine that can reach . The stems are usually hairless and bear alternate, olive-green, cordate leaves, about long, with long, purple-tinged
petioles. The flowers develop in the axils of the leaves in groups of one to five. The sepals are light green and hairless, and overlap one another. The flowers are tubular, white with a pinkish or purplish throat. The
corolla is five-lobed, some long and wide. The stamens form a white boss in the middle of the throat. Flowers open overnight and close, on a sunny day, about mid-day, but last longer in cloudy weather. They are followed by
capsules containing two to four flat seeds which are noticeably hairy along their outer edges.
[
]
Distribution and habitat
The native range is the southern and eastern parts of the United States, extending northwards into Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
in Canada.[ Habitats include upland woods, the edges of prairies bordering woodlands, thickets, rocky gullies and stream-sides, disturbed ground, and railway and highway verges.]
Ecology
Long-tongued bees such as honey bee
A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the current cosm ...
s, bumblebee
A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related genera ...
s and digger bees visit ''I. pandurata'' seeking nectar, as do various butterflies and moths. Tortoise beetles
The Cassidinae (tortoise and leaf-mining beetles) are a subfamily of the leaf beetles, or Chrysomelidae. The antennae arise close to each other and some members have the pronotal and elytral edges extended to the side and covering the legs so as ...
of various sorts and the sweet potato leaf beetle feed on the leaves. The larvae of the latter two beetles feed on the swollen tuberous roots, while the larvae of the sweet potato leaf miner, the morning-glory plume moth and the sweetpotato hornworm feed on the foliage. Mammalian herbivorous animals avoid this plant which tastes bitter and is toxic to some extent.[
]
Uses
The root of this plant produces a large tuber
Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growin ...
that can be as much as long and thick, weighing up to .expectorant
Mucoactive agents are a class of chemical agents that aid in the clearance of mucus or sputum from the upper and lower airways, including the lungs, bronchi, and trachea. Mucoactive drugs include expectorants, mucolytics, mucoregulators, and muco ...
, diuretic
A diuretic () is any substance that promotes diuresis, the increased production of urine. This includes forced diuresis. A diuretic tablet is sometimes colloquially called a water tablet. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics i ...
and laxative
Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation.
Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...
effects.[
]
References
External links
''Ipomoea pandurata''
at Connecticut Botanical Society
{{Taxonbar, from=Q12840688
pandurata
Flora of North America