batatas

[In Ger. & Fr. batate, patate; Sp. batata, patata; Port. batata; Ital. patata; Peruvian papa.] [POTATO.] Bot. A genus of Convolvulaceæ, consisting of plants with a four-celled ovary, one style, and two stigmas. They are creeping or twining herbaceous or shrubby plants. About twenty species are known, chiefly from tropical America. Batatas edulis ( Convolvulus batatas , Roxb.) is the sweet potato largely cultivated for food in the hotter parts of both hemispheres. The edible part, the tubers, are from three to twelve pounds in weight. In the East and West Indies, where they grow, our common potato, Solanum tuberosum, is called the Irish potato, to distinguish it from the sweet potato or Batatas. B. jalap a , from Mexico, has purgative qualities, but is not the true Jalap. [JALAP.] B. paniculata furnishes Natal Cotton. -an .