Wild Potato-vine

Ipomoea pandurata

Found in longleaf pine sandhills, dry forests and woodlands, prairies, roadbanks, disturbed areas. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

Keystone

Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height: 15–30 feet
Spread: 3–6 feet
Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 4.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 5 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

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Ipomoea pandurata — flower photograph — no rights reserved · CC0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Leaves: Deciduous
Bloom: Spring and summer
Fruiting season: July to October

Recorded in 54 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 5

Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Limestone prairie. Shown: Grand Prairie, Coosa Valley Prairies, Floyd County, Georgia, a neighboring state.Grand Prairie, Coosa Valley Prairies, Floyd County, Alan M. Cressler / U.S. Geological Survey, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Sandhills

Dry, deep-sand ridges with longleaf pine and turkey oak, kept open by fire.

Dry forests and woodlands

Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 79 animals.

American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Goldfinch
Carduelis tristis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Kestrel
Falco sparverius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Woodcock
Scolopax minor
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bachman's Sparrow
Aimophila aestivalis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Barred Owl
Strix varia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Belted Kingfisher
Megaceryle alcyon
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue Grosbeak
Passerina caerulea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue Jay
Cyanocitta cristata
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Polioptila caerulea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Brown Creeper
Certhia americana
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Brown Thrasher
Toxostoma rufum
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Sitta pusilla
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Carolina Chickadee
Poecile carolinensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Carolina Wren
Thryothorus ludovicianus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Cedar Waxwing
Bombycilla cedrorum
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Chimney Swift
Chaetura pelagica
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Chipping Sparrow
Spizella passerina
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Chuck-will's-widow
Caprimulgus carolinensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Common Grackle
Quiscalus quiscula
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Common Ground-dove
Columbina passerina
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

59CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Ipomoea

Adaina ipomoeaeIpomoea Plume Moth
Agrius cingulataPink-Spotted Hawkmoth, Sweet Potatoe Caterpillar
Agrotis gladiariaSwordsman Dart, Clay-Backed Cut-Worm
Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
Amyna strictaEight-Spot Moth
Anomis flavaTropical Anomis Moth
Argyrotaenia ivanaIvana Leafroller Moth
Bedellia minorFlorida Morning-Glory Leafminer Moth
Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth

Show all 59

Elaphria chalcedoniaChalcedony Midget
Elophila obliteralisWaterlily Leafcutter Moth
Emmelina busckiSouthern Morning-Glory Plume Moth
Emmelina monodactylaMorning-Glory Plume Moth
Eublemma rectaStraight-Lined Seed Moth
Euptoieta claudiaVariegated Fritillary, (?)Gulf Fritillary
Euzophera semifuneralisAmerican Plum Borer
Feltia herilisMaster's Dart
Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
Feltia repletaReplete Dart
Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
Hahncappsia mancalisCommon Hahncappsia
Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
Herpetogramma fluctuosalisGreater Sweetpotato Webworm
Herpetogramma thestealisZigzag Herpetogramma, Subtle-Feathered Grass Moth
Hydriris ornatalisOrnate Hydriris
Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
Junonia neildiMangrove Buckeye
Lascoria ambigualisAmbiguous Moth, Ambiguous Litter Moth
Lygropia tripunctataSweet Potato Leaf Roller
Marimatha nigrofimbriaBlack-Bordered Lemon
Marimatha tripunctaThree-Spotted Lemon
Megalopyge opercularisSouthern Flannel Moth, Puss Caterpillar
Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
Ostrinia obumbratalisSmartweed Borer
Papilio troilusSpicebush Swallowtail
Patania silicalisHerbivorous Patania, Herbivorous Pleuroptya
Polygrammodes elevataRed-Spotted Sweetpotato Moth
Proxenus mirandaMiranda Moth, Glistening Rustic
Schizura ipomaeaeMorning-Glory Prominent, Checkered-Fringe Prominent
Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
Spodoptera dolichosSweetpotato Armyworm, Dolichos Armyworm, Large Cotton Armyworm
Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera latifasciaOrange-Striped Armyworm, Velvet Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
Spoladea recurvalisHawaiian Beet Webworm
Spragueia damaSouthern Spragueia
Syntomeida ipomoeaeYellow-Banded Wasp Moth
Udea rubigalisCelery Leaftier
Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
Cosmopterix astrapias
Cosmopterix gemmiferella
Microthyris anormalis
Microthyris lelex
Pebops ipomoeae
Syntomeida syntomoides

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

17BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Ipomoea

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

3Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Ipomoea

Melitoma grisella
Melitoma marginella
Melitoma taurea

Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Ipomoea

Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove
Cyrtonyx montezumaeMontezuma Quail

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Adult butterflies / moths 1

Sphinx eremitus

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Convolvulaceae
Hardiness: Zones 3a–8b
Flower color: Purple, red or white
Fruit begins: July
Fruit ends: October

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “Spring and summer” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team) differs)
Flower color · “Purple, red or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Fruit begins · “July” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Hardiness · “Zones 3a–8b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differs)
Height · “15–30 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differ)
Soil · “Good drainage; Moist; Occasionally dry; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differ)
Spread · “3–6 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Man of the Earth; Wild Potato vine; Wild Sweet Potato

Conservation status

Florida rank	SNR
Global rank	G5
FL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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Wild Potato-vine

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Sources

More Ipomoea