Sweet Potato Flowers

Sweet potato plants (Ipomoea batatas) are often grown for their tasty tubers, but they also produce flowers under the right conditions. Here are some interesting facts about sweet potato flowers:

Appearance

• Color: The flowers are typically a light lavender or pinkish-purple, and they can sometimes be white.
• Shape: Sweet potato flowers have a tubular or funnel shape, similar to morning glory flowers, as they belong to the same family (Convolvulaceae).
• Size: The flowers are relatively small, usually measuring around 3-7 cm (1.2-2.8 inches) in diameter.

Pollination

• Sweet potato flowers are primarily pollinated by insects, particularly bees. Depending on the variety and environmental conditions, not all sweet potato plants produce flowers prolifically.
• Flowers may be more common in certain climates and growing conditions, typically those that mimic the plant’s native tropical or subtropical habitat.

Fruiting

• After pollination, the flowers can develop into seed pods. However, this is relatively uncommon, especially in commercial varieties primarily bred for tuber production rather than flowering and seed production.
• If seed pods do form, they contain small, black seeds that can be used for further propagation, though most sweet potatoes are propagated vegetatively via slips (young shoots from tubers) rather than seeds.

Cultural and Agronomic Factors

• Flowering can be influenced by several factors including variety, soil conditions, temperature, and daylight length.
• Some farmers and gardeners may never see their sweet potato plants flower if they are growing a variety that has been selected for minimal flowering, or if the environmental conditions aren’t right.

Importance in Breeding

• In sweet potato breeding programs, flowers and seeds are used to develop new varieties with desired traits such as improved yield, disease resistance, or specific tuber qualities. Thus, flowering plants are vital for genetic diversity and crop improvement.

Even though many growers focus on the underground bounty of the sweet potato, the flowers are a beautiful reminder of the plant’s full capacity and role in nature’s biodiversity.