Wild Potato Vine Question

[crashdive123]

Does anybody here eat this? In this area they are such an invasive species that a recent notice went out to not put any in the yard waste for collection. It seems to take over fences, trees, shrubs, power poles and lines, etc. I did read that it should be cooked through several changes of water. Just wondering, since it is so abundant, is it worthwhile.

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii67/crashdive123/Wild%20Edibles/WildEdibles023.jpg

[Rick]

Crash - I do not. They grow around here as well but the cold winters probably keep them in check. Some are huge, however. I've not seen the round balls before. Is that some type of seed pod?

[pocomoonskyeyes]

Not I, but that other plant with the 5 leaves is Virginia Creeper, Be sure not to get any of that as it is poisonous. You probably know that already Crash,but others may not.

[crashdive123]

I assumed that was the potato part. They get about fist sized and drop off and then take root. Yesterday was the first time I saw flowers on them. As I posted in another thread, that was more because I was not seeing what I was looking at. Today all the flowers were gone except for one. In my back yard some of the vines are climbing as high as approximately 30 feet. I've seen them higher than that.

[Rick]

The root is the potato. They are really huge and look a bit like a scroungy yam. You'll want to pay close attention to the flower when it blooms. I happen to think wild potato has one of the prettiest flows of the wild edibles. Very creamy white with striking purple center.

I've never seen the round ball things.

[crashdive123]

Here is the one remaining flower that I was able to take a picture of today.

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii67/crashdive123/Wild%20Edibles/WildEdibles019.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii67/crashdive123/Wild%20Edibles/WildEdibles020.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii67/crashdive123/Wild%20Edibles/WildEdibles016.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii67/crashdive123/Wild%20Edibles/WildEdibles022.jpg

[Rick]

Hmmm. I guess that IS the seed pod. I've never seen one.

http://turfweeds.contentsrvr.net/category_detail.pg_232.vesh (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://turfweeds.contentsrvr.net/content/general/images/plants/Ipomoea%2520pandurata%2520%28bigroot%2520morninggl ory%29/bigroot_morningglory_IMG_2802.jpg&imgrefurl=http://turfweeds.contentsrvr.net/category_detail.pg_232.vesh&usg=__4nnTDaqNu30IMMLpvfpmzBtd834=&h=398&w=600&sz=117&hl=en&start=68&um=1&tbnid=JIpsSAVZ8Ae8nM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3DIpomoea%2Bpandurata%2Broot%26ndsp%3D1 8%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN%26start%3D54%26um%3D1)

[Winnie]

Had a quick lookee, here's something you might find of interest.

http://www.claudewrankin.com/flowers/whitemorningglory.shtml

[COWBOYSURVIVAL]

Going out to have a look at mine now, we thought they were morning glories or are they? or both, I haven't learned plants yet!

[COWBOYSURVIVAL]

Ok looks like I have the ones in your post and something that looks like Morning Glory or do the some the leaves have 3 points?

[Rick]

Without a picture I can only guess but if the leaves are NOT heart shaped and the flower looks like the one in the picture then it may be jimsonweed. Very poisonous. Very bad for your horses, too.

And yes, it is a member of the "morning glory" family. The family is Convolvulaceae. The specific genera that Wild Potato Vine is under is Ipomoea.

WW - Man of the Earth is a common name for it on this side of the pond.

[crashdive123]

Here are a few pictures of some leaf detail.

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii67/crashdive123/Wild%20Edibles/IMG_0390.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii67/crashdive123/Wild%20Edibles/WildPotatoVine007.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii67/crashdive123/Wild%20Edibles/WildEdibles028.jpg

[COWBOYSURVIVAL]

Without a picture I can only guess but if the leaves are NOT heart shaped and the flower looks like the one in the picture then it may be jimsonweed. Very poisonous. Very bad for your horses, too.

And yes, it is a member of the "morning glory" family. The family is Convolvulaceae. The specific genera that Wild Potato Vine is under is Ipomoea.

WW - Man of the Earth is a common name for it on this side of the pond.

Thanks Rick,

I looked it up and it is not Jimsonweed, but I don't think it is patatoe vine either. Looks to be Morning Glory. There are two that are pretty prevalent in the field by the house. (Note) The pasture is cleared. One of them is morning glory. I am not sure what the other is, I thought maybe it was patatoe vine but, having did some searching it is not. I have no idea what it is. Thanks for the help!

[NightShade]

I would confidently say that is indeed Wild Potatoe vine..Ipomoea pandurata...in the Morning Glory family.

Smaller roots (up to 5 or 6 lbs.) can be baked or boiled like a potatoe.. larger roots will require boiling in several changes of water

WARNING- DO NOT EAT ROOTS WITHOUT COOKING... very strong laxative effect.. DO NOT EAT SEEDS!!!>>> poison!!!

[crashdive123]

Was kind of looking for somebody that has tried it

[NightShade]

I have eaten wild potatoe vine... I hesitate from giving you a definite answer just from looking at the pictures, I'd be able to give you a 100% answer if I was standing next to you looking down...especially if i could dig up the root... but I am pretty confident it is indeed wild potatoe vine....

That being said, don't eat 'em on my word alone!!.. I wouldn't be able to sleep if you poisoned yourself with some plant that grows in Florida that I've never seen before!!!!

[crashdive123]

Oh, I know that they are wild potato vine. The seed pods left me with a few questions that have been answered. I did take a sample a couple of weeks ago to one of our extension agents to verify that it was wild potato vine. That's when I was given the info about not putting them in with yard waste. They are so invasive that they are trying to keep them out of the landfill.

[Chris]

Not I, but that other plant with the 5 leaves is Virginia Creeper, Be sure not to get any of that as it is poisonous. You probably know that already Crash,but others may not.
Virginia creeper is poisonous?

Do you mean if ingested? Or do you mean it causes some sort of contact dermatitis like poison ivy?

I never heard that it was at all dangerous.

[crashdive123]

From the web.
Since Virginia creeper is one of the plants mistaken for poison ivy, many people wonder if it is "poisonous" in the sense that poison ivy is poisonous. The sap flowing through Virginia creeper vines does contain oxalate crystals, which can be an irritant for a small percentage of people. If you're unsure as to whether you're one of those people, don't touch Virginia creeper, since the result of contact could be a nasty skin rash. Nor should you eat Virginia creeper berries. I have never had a reaction to it, and I am sensitive to poison ivy.

[gryffynklm]

I have never had a reaction to Virginia creeper ether. Poison ivy is a different story.

[Winnie]

It doesn't grow this side of the pond, too cold. Morning glory is grown as an annual garden plant.

[Rick]

Virginia Creeper does contain oxalate crystals in the sap. If you are sensitive to the oxalate then you can develop a rash if you touch the juice from the stem.

[Rick]

I guess I should also post that Virginia Creeper is edible despite my post above. Just be aware that it does contain oxalate crystals and you can break out in a rash.

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/v/virgin14.html

with an added caution that Peterson considers it poisonous. The berries have produced fatalities if eaten in quantity. As for me, if contains oxalates, I shy away from it.

[alasneh]

We are looking for this plant, the wild potato vine, because it was impossible to make it grow from seeds and it's can't be found in our are.

Any ideas of where to buy the plant, roots or rhizomes?

Thank you!

[crashdive123]

We are looking for this plant, the wild potato vine, because it was impossible to make it grow from seeds and it's can't be found in our are.

Any ideas of where to buy the plant, roots or rhizomes?

Thank you!

If you google "purchase ipomea pandurata" you will get lots of returns. It is considered an invasive species here. We don't buy it here, we chop it down. Not sure about where you live, but you may want to check to see if it can be imported into Spain.