Quercus

Wild Potato-vine

Ipomoea pandurata

Native to Kentucky (estimated)

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

45CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including KY

Genus host records with ranges including KY · Ipomoea

  • 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
  • Autographa precationisCommon Looper Moth
  • Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
  • Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
  • Elaphria chalcedoniaChalcedony Midget
  • Elophila obliteralisWaterlily Leafcutter Moth
Show all 45
  • Emmelina monodactylaMorning-Glory Plume Moth
  • Euptoieta claudiaVariegated Fritillary, (?)Gulf Fritillary
  • Euxoa messoriaReaper Dart, Darksided Cutworm, Dark-Sided Cutworm
  • Euzophera semifuneralisAmerican Plum Borer
  • Feltia herilisMaster's Dart
  • Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
  • Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
  • Hahncappsia mancalisCommon Hahncappsia
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Herpetogramma fluctuosalisGreater Sweetpotato Webworm
  • Herpetogramma thestealisZigzag Herpetogramma, Subtle-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
  • Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
  • Lascoria ambigualisAmbiguous Moth, Ambiguous Litter Moth
  • Marimatha nigrofimbriaBlack-Bordered 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
  • 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
  • Udea rubigalisCelery Leaftier
  • Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
  • Cosmopterix gemmiferella
  • Hahncappsia neobliteralis
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)
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

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

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

Conservation status

Kentucky rankS5
Global rankG5
KY statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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