Potatoes and sweet potatoes are both originally from America, belong to the tuberous plants and look – more or less – similar. Botanically, they are not related to each other. The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a nightshade plant, the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), however, belongs to the bindweed family.
How do sweet potatoes differ from potatoes?
Regular potatoes have white or yellow flesh inside, while sweet potatoes are known for having orange innards. Both typically have brownish skin; though, that can vary depending on the variety. There are more than 4,000 different types of potatoes and 1,000 varieties of sweet potatoes grown around the globe.
What is the difference between the plant structures of potatoes and sweet potatoes?
Potatoes and yams technically have modified belowground stems (“stem tubers”) while sweet potatoes have “root tubers.”
What is sweet potato in biology?
Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam., commonly known as sweet potato, is a herbaceous perennial vine plant belonging to the morning glory family of Convolvulaceae. Despite its name implicates a resemblance with potato (Solanum tuberosum), the latter is not a close relative and rather belongs to the family of Solanaceae.
Do potatoes and sweet potatoes come from the same genus?
Fact: Even though both the potato and sweet potato originated from Central and South America, they are actually not related. They come from different families, with the potato coming from the nightshade and the sweet potato from the morning glory family. Myth: Sweet potatoes are yams.
Why is a sweet potato not a potato?
Sweet potatoes are not potatoes
Unlike regular potatoes, which are tubers, sweet potatoes are considered to be root vegetables. The root, however, is described as a tuberous root. Both sweet and regular potatoes grow under the soil, but they are very different when it comes to density, taste and nutrition.
Why is sweet potato better than potato?
Though they can both be part of a healthy diet, sweet potatoes are generally healthier than regular potatoes, partly because of their incredibly high vitamin A content. Sweet potatoes are also lower on the glycemic index, meaning that they are less likely than regular potatoes to make your blood sugar spike.
Why potato is a stem and sweet potato is a root?
Solution : Potato is underground tuber (stem) on which nodes and internodes with adventitious buds (in eyes) are present. Scale leaves are absent. Sweet potato is underground modified tubercled adventitious root which is non-green and swollen. Scale leaves, nodes, internodes are absent.
Is sweet potato a stem or root?
Unlike the potato, which is a tuber, or thickened stem, the sweetpotato that we eat is the storage root of the plant; an enlarged lateral root.
How does sweet potato grow?
Note that sweet potatoes are not grown from seed. Instead, they’re grown from slips, which are sprouts grown from existing sweet potatoes. Slips are often available at local garden centers, nurseries, from local farmers (such as farmers markets), or from mail-order companies. Or, you can start your own (see how below).
How many chromosomes does a sweet potato have?
90 chromosomes
Cultivated sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) is a hexaploid species with 90 chromosomes (2n = 6X = 90).
Why carrot is a root and potato is a stem?
Underground stem – Tuber is a means of vegetative propagation whereas carrot is a storage root and roots do not produce buds / shoots.
How many chromosomes does a potato have?
48
Common cultivated potato varieties include tetraploid (2n = 4x = 48) with a basic chromosome number of 12, while there are cultivated species at the diploid (2n = 2x = 24) to pentaploid (2n =5x = 60) levels.
How closely related are sweet potatoes and potatoes?
Sweet and regular potatoes are both considered root vegetables but are only distantly related. Sweet potatoes are from the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae, and white potatoes are nightshades, or Solanaceae. The edible part of these plants are the tubers that grow on the roots.
Why are sweet potatoes called potatoes?
Europeans referred to the sweet potato as the potato, which often leads to confusion when searching for old sweet potato recipes. It wasn’t until after the 1740’s that the term sweet potato began to be used by American colonists to distinguish it from the white (Irish) potato.
What is the scientific classification of sweet potato?
The sweet potato or sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the bindweed or morning glory family, Convolvulaceae.
Which potato is the healthiest?
Red Desiree Potatoes
Red Desiree Potatoes are part of the Red Potato family and are considered to be the healthiest of all potatoes, as they contain the highest levels of vitamins, minerals and healthy phytochemicals.
Is a sweet potato a starch?
Sweet potatoes are considered a starchy vegetable, but they are also a great source of nutrition. Starchy vegetables are usually higher in calories than non-starchy vegetables which have higher water contents and fewer calories (cucumber, lettuce, peppers, etc.).
Is sweet potato a modified stem?
Sweet potato is a type of storage root that has been modified. Potato, on the other hand, is a stem that grows from underground stems. Stolons are the name given to these underground stems. The roots of sweet potatoes are modified in order to store food.
Can sweet potato be purple?
Today, Okinawan sweet potatoes, sometimes known as Hawaiian Sweet Potatoes, are a part of the native menu in Hawaii. Okinawan sweet potatoes have beige outer skin and deep, blue-purple flesh. They have a mildly sweet flavor, and a very dry, starchy texture.
What can I eat to gain weight?
As part of an overall healthy diet, choose whole-grain breads, pastas and cereals; fruits and vegetables; dairy products; lean protein sources; and nuts and seeds. Try smoothies and shakes. Don’t fill up on diet soda, coffee and other drinks with few calories and little nutritional value.