Definition

Noun 1. A tropical American perennial plant: A prostrate (growing along the ground) or climbing herbaceous plant native to tropical America, characterized by an enormous starchy root. It is botanically identified and sometimes considered a possible source of the cultivated sweet potato.

Usage Examples

• The wild sweet potato vine can be found sprawling across the forest floor.
• Botanists study the wild sweet potato vine to understand the origins of the modern sweet potato.
• Its large, starchy tuber distinguishes the wild sweet potato vine from many other creeping plants.

Advanced Usage

• In botanical and agricultural contexts, this term is used specifically to refer to the uncultivated progenitor or relative () of the domesticated sweet potato ().

Variants and Related Words

• Botanical Name: .
• Man of the earth (informal/common name): Another name for this plant, referring to its large, edible root.
• Wild morning glory: A related descriptive term, as the plant belongs to the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae).

Synonyms

• Man of the earth ( – a closely related species with a similar common name).
• Wild ipomoea (a general descriptive term).

Different Meanings

• This term has a very specific botanical meaning and is not typically used idiomatically or with alternative common meanings. It refers exclusively to the plant species described.

Noun

1. tropical American prostrate or climbing herbaceous perennial having an enormous starchy root; sometimes held to be source of the sweet potato