Man Of The Earth

(ipomoea pandurata 2007 wikimedia commons under creative commons)


As I travel up 229 into Tallassee, I see this huge vine. Low and behold it stays on my mind. I stop at Fomby's produce stand and buy 3 pounds of sweet potatoes for 3.00. Then I remember earlier I was going to write a post about this very plant. I learned a little bit about it a few minutes ago.
It's actually a very nice edition to your garden if you want to catch some of the roots. It's a great trellis plant that will climb continually as much as you want it to. This "Man of The Earth" aka "ipomoea pandurata" is actually a sweet potato plant. The Choctaw and creek used to eat it! This one we see and put off as some kind of weed kin to the morning glory but it's actually some type of wild yam.
This plant produces a tuberous root and according to wikipedia. You can find this one in any place imaginable because it's super sustainable. Other members of this plant family are the "Morning Glory" which grows just as quickly as this man of earth. It's a pretty must see! If you would like to get seeds for this plant, you'll probably have to find a round robin plant service. This one will grow as long as you give it dirt. You can find more information on this plant here