The sweet potato or sweetpotato Ipomoea batatas is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the bindweed or morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tasting similar to pumpkin, tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable.[1][2] The young shoots and leaves are sometimes eaten as greens. The sweet potato is distantly related to the common potato Solanum tuberosum, both being in the order Solanales. Although the darker sweet potatoes are often referred to as `yams` in parts of North America, the species is not closely related to true yams.[3] Cultivars of the sweet potato have been bred to bear tubers with flesh and skin of various colors.
Ipomoea batatas is native to the tropical regions of the Americas.
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