Ipomoea batatas Tahiti ('La17-120') (Treasure Island Series)

RHS Plant Profile
sweet potato [Tahiti]

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Synonyms

Ipomoea batatas 'La17-120'

Herbaceous Perennial Annual Biennial

A tender herbaceous perennial which is treated as an annual in the UK climate. It scrambles or climbs with support, to reach 1.5m. Its attractive green leaves are edible and at the end of the growing season, the underground tuber can also be eaten. This variety has a purple skin and pale flesh.

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

1-1.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
1 year
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
1-1.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Neutral or Alkaline

Position

Full sun
Aspect
East–facing or North–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H2

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Convolvulaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Climbing, Trailing
Genus
Ipomoea can be annuals or perennials, often twining, or evergreen shrubs, with simple, lobed or dissected leaves and tubular or funnel-shaped flowers which may be solitary or borne in racemes or panicles
Name Status
Trade

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in deep fertile soil in a frost free spot with full light. Can be grown outdoors once all danger of frost is past, but needs a long growing period to produce a root crop. Can be grown in a large container. Train up a cane to save space, along the ground as ground cover, or allow to trail downwards from a container. Eating the leaves as a vegetable will limit its size, but at the expense of the root harvest. For more advice see sweet potato cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by dividing a tuber into 'slips', which are slices of tuber that include a bud. For more advice see sweet potato cultivation

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Patio and container plants
  • Sub-tropical
  • Climber and wall shrubs

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

May be susceptible to glasshoouse red spider mite and glasshouse whitefly

Diseases

Generally disease-free