- Web sites
External Web sites
- Centers for Disease Control - Vegetable of the Month: Sweet Potato
- Floridata - Ipomoea Batatas
- How Stuff Works - Home and Garden - Decorative Sweet Potato
- How Stuff Works - Science - Sweet Potato
- Missouri Botanical Garden - Ipomoea batatas
- The National Gardening Association - Plant Care Guides - Sweet Potato
- Watch Your Garden Grow - Sweet Potato
- WebMD - Sweet Potato
Britannica Web sites
Articles from Britannica encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- sweet potato - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
The sweet potato is an important food source. It is very nutritious and high in vitamin A. The sweet potato grows in most warm, moist climates. Its scientific name is Ipomoea batatas. The sweet potato is not related to yams or potatoes.
- sweet potato - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
When Christopher Columbus landed in the New World, the sweet potato was a staple food of certain West Indians. It remains today a basic food in many countries, particularly in Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific islands. It is served as a cooked vegetable, in whole or mashed form, and is also used in pie fillings.