Ornamental sweet potatoes may contain significantly higher levels of cyanogenic glycosides and other antinutrients, like trypsin inhibitors. Cooking takes care of the tiny amount in regular cultivar sweet potatoes.

I was just searching this subject on the internet, how funny, I should always check here first. Dave is right from what the internet produced. I was surprised at how old and wide ranging the cultivation is and has been. several thousand years and all over the world! Amazing and stupid easy to grow like potatoes. Don't overwater, loose well draining soil and keep em covered with dirt! I dont have a container large enough for them this year so I am doing little red and purple potatoes! In my area I will start them outside and then move indoors when it gets too hot!

A gardener who doesn't like playing in the dirt??? ;) Unfortunately root crops like potatoes, whether sweets or Irish, need to be dug out of the soil - even when those potatoes are grown in straw. All you need is a potato fork to dig them up with. Dave

Mr. Brown Thumb says that the ornamental ones have been bred for their lovely foliage so that's why the potato is pithy and woody, whereas the sweet potatoes bred for their potato production are tastier ... in the tuber portion. http://mrbrownthumb.blogspot.com/2010/10/ornamental-sweet-potato-vine.html. Sooo if they're both Ipomoeas then one should grow them for what they intend to harvest and use for their tables ... either leaves or tubers? I have Puerto Rico sweet potatoes growing and will have to try eating the young leaves and shoots. This is a very interesting discussion because I have been curious about eating the foliage for a while. Does anyone know if all Ipomoeas (morning glories) have edible leaves? Thanks to you all for the information in this thread.