General Information

COMMON NAMES: Sweet Potato; German Batate, Süsskartoffel TRADITIONAL NAMES: Kūmara (RR AT MK MT AK PL MH RK), Kūara (MG), Kūmala (PK NS); Other Polynesian - Kumala (TON), ‘Umala (SAM) GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE tropical America COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Polynesian, Not naturalised; Land, lowlands SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Some varieties locally endangeredFood (Root 4+) KEY FEATURES: Sprawling vine with root-tubers. ROOT tuberous. STEMS to 4m, w/wo nodes rooting, w/wo hairs. LEAVES variable, wide-oval to heart-like, to 15x15cm, w/wo hairs, w/wo teeth, w/wo 3-7 lobes, tip sharp; stalks 5-20cm. FLOWERS 1-few (sometimes absent); stalk 3-15mm, w/wo hairs; sepals unequal, outer two shortest, oblong, 10-15mm, 3-5 raised veins; corolla funnel-like, pink to purplish with darker throat, sometimes white, 4-7cm long; stamen-stalks wo. hairs except at base.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present    Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++++	++++	+++	+++	++?		P		-

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	++?	++?	+	+	+

Ipomoea batatas Linnaeus
SYNONYMS: Convolvulus batatas; Convolvulus edulis; Batatas edulis

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ASTERIDAE; Solanales; CONVOLVULACEAE

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
BIODIVERSITY: Some varieties locally endangered
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Food (Root 4+). Comments: Plant Genetic Resources Workshop (Rarotonga, August 2003) recorded a concern that varieties were being lost. There were still about six varieties on Rarotonga and Mangaia, four on Atiu, and three on Aitutaki and Mitiaro.

Vouchers:
Pukapuka: fieldspecimen, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Ipomoea batatas.

References:
p.555 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.706 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.597 Hortus 3rd
p.610 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.358 Tropica
p.5/066 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.289 A Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.90 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.372e Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02, zupD03b

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