Sweet Potato Vine Flower

The ornamental varieties are simply cultivars of the species plant.

Sweet potato vine flower.

Edible sweet potato vines and some ornamental varieties bloom with flowers that resemble morning glories in shape but some ornamental sweet potato vines do not flower according to missouri. Ornamental sweet potato vines are in the same family as edible sweet potatoes and are in fact the same species. A vigorous annual or a tender perennial it takes off in summer heat. Ornamental sweet potato vines don t produce many flowers which means they often don t produce seeds.

While you may be able to coax your plant into producing sweet potato vine seeds they aren t guaranteed to be good so it s best to propagate in other ways. Many ornamentals are also sterile and only really viable to produce from cuttings. Sweet potato vine ipomoea batatas named for its edible cousin is an ornamental warm season annual grown for its attractive leaves and vining habit the foliage lends a tropical feel to the garden and comes in a range of colors and varying forms. Typically used as spillers in containers they also make fantastic groundcovers typically spreading 4 to 6 feet.

One of the easiest ways to create multi seasonal interest in the garden is to use plants with interesting foliage. They are bred for the beauty of their leaves rather than edible tubers and the vines from these plants make them look more like a morning glory or clematis than a member of the potato family.