Are Potatoes And Sweet Potatoes Related? | Same Family Myth

Regular potatoes and sweet potatoes belong to different plant families, sharing only a distant botanical link within the broader Solanales order.

Walk through any grocery store and you’ll see earthy brown potatoes and bright orange sweet potatoes sitting close together. The labels sound so similar that it’s easy to assume they share the same family tree and differ only in color and sweetness.

If you cook often, you may have swapped one for the other and wondered whether that choice matters beyond flavor.

At A Glance: Their Botanical Relationship

Regular potatoes and sweet potatoes sit in the same plant order, Solanales, yet they divide into completely different families. That split means they are only distant relatives, far apart enough that they behave like separate crops, not close cousins.

Potato plants belong to the nightshade family, Solanaceae, under the species name Solanum tuberosum, while sweet potato plants sit in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae, under the species name Ipomoea batatas. So although both produce starchy underground organs, their closest plant relatives look very different.

Why The Family Split Matters

Plant families group species that share structure, chemistry, and long history; potatoes sit with tomatoes and peppers inside Solanaceae, while sweet potatoes sit with climbing morning glories inside Convolvulaceae.

Are Potatoes And Sweet Potatoes Related? Botany Behind The Names

These crops share only a distant branch in the classification ladder and do not belong to the same family or genus, so they cannot cross and they respond differently to pests and growing conditions.

The shared word “potato” comes from a tangle of names that early European visitors applied to several American root and tuber crops. Over time, that naming stuck in everyday language even though the underlying plants parted ways at the family level long ago.

Taxonomy From Kingdom To Species

Line both crops up side by side and the structure of their names tells the story:

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Order: Solanales (shared)
• Family: Solanaceae for potatoes; Convolvulaceae for sweet potatoes
• Genus: Solanum for potatoes; Ipomoea for sweet potatoes
• Species: Solanum tuberosum; Ipomoea batatas

Because they live in different families and genera, pollen from one will not give seeds of the other. A potato flower cannot produce a sweet potato seed, and a sweet potato blossom will never grow into classic white or yellow potato tubers.

Botanical Clues You Can See At Home

Even without lab tools, the plants shout their family ties. Look at a garden bed or a field and you’ll notice clear contrasts.

• Leaves: Potato leaves appear on upright stems and look similar to tomato or eggplant foliage. Sweet potato leaves sit on long vines and often appear heart shaped or with deep lobes.
• Flowers: Potato flowers form star shaped clusters, usually white or purple. Sweet potato flowers look like pale trumpets, just like other morning glories.
• Growth habit: Potatoes grow as compact plants that hold their shape. Sweet potatoes creep and trail, rooting at stem nodes as they spread.

These visible traits match what botanists write in formal descriptions and what plant databases list for each species.

Taking Potatoes And Sweet Potatoes Beyond The Family Tree

Once you know that the two crops are only distant relatives, it becomes easier to see how that distance shows up in everyday cooking. Classic potatoes bring a mild, earthy flavor with textures that range from floury to waxy, while sweet potatoes lean sweeter and denser with a creamy feel when baked or roasted.

Starch Type And Texture

Part of the contrast comes from the balance of starch and natural sugar in each tuber. Potatoes hold more starch and stay drier, which helps them crisp in ovens and fryers, while sweet potatoes carry more sugar and soften faster, picking up caramel notes even with simple preparation.

Color Pigments And Antioxidants

Sweet potatoes gain their orange flesh from carotenoids, especially beta carotene, and some varieties turn deep purple thanks to anthocyanins. Those pigments also appear in carrots, dark leafy greens, and berries, and they have been studied for roles in general health and antioxidant activity.

Potatoes often look white or pale yellow inside, yet red and purple varieties exist as well. Those colored potato types also carry anthocyanins, which means both crops can contribute more than bland starch when you choose deeper hues.

Main Botanical Differences Between Potato And Sweet Potato

The table below pulls together the main botanical contrasts between the two crops in one place.

Feature	Potato (Solanum tuberosum)	Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas)
Plant Family	Solanaceae (nightshade)	Convolvulaceae (morning glory)
Genus	Solanum	Ipomoea
Order	Solanales	Solanales
Growth Habit	Upright, bushy stems	Trailing, vining stems
Edible Part	Underground stem tubers	Tuberous roots
Close Relatives	Tomato, pepper, eggplant	Morning glory ornamentals
Native Region	Andean highlands in South America	Tropical regions in Central and South America

Can You Swap One For The Other In Recipes?

In many dishes you can trade potatoes and sweet potatoes, but the swap changes both flavor and texture. A tray of mixed roasted vegetables, a breakfast hash, or a simple mash will work with either tuber, though the color and sweetness shift.

When a dish relies on a specific feel, the distance in plant families starts to show. Fluffy baked potatoes, crisp french fries, and light gnocchi depend on high starch potato varieties. Sweet potatoes hold more moisture and sugar, so in those roles they can turn dense, sticky, or fragile.

How Cooks Around The World Use Each Tuber

Traditional dishes offer easy clues about where each crop shines. In Andean kitchens, potatoes anchor soups, stews, and casseroles, often paired with cheese, chiles, and grains. In many Asian and Pacific cuisines, sweet potatoes move between savory and sweet roles in porridges, stir fries, noodles, and desserts.

Nutrition Snapshot: Potato Vs Sweet Potato

Both tubers bring carbohydrates, fiber, and a list of vitamins and minerals. Exact values depend on variety and cooking method, yet a simple 100 gram comparison of plain cooked forms gives a useful baseline.

How Official Sources Classify And Analyze These Crops

National plant databases and nutrient references treat potatoes and sweet potatoes as separate entries with their own classification, growing notes, and nutrient breakdowns. Resources such as the USDA PLANTS Database describe Solanum tuberosum and its distribution, while portals like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility present records for Ipomoea batatas as a member of Convolvulaceae.

For nutrition, tools backed by national data, including USDA FoodData Central, catalog many potato and sweet potato entries by variety and cooking method. Educational articles from institutions such as the Carnegie Museum of Natural History also explain that potatoes and sweet potatoes share only a distant relationship while often being confused with true yams.

Nutrient (Per 100 g Cooked)	Potato, Boiled Without Skin*	Sweet Potato, Baked Flesh*
Calories	About 80–90 kcal	About 100–110 kcal
Carbohydrates	Around 20 g	Around 24 g
Fiber	Roughly 2 g	Roughly 3 g
Protein	About 2 g	About 2 g
Vitamin A	Minimal	High, especially in orange varieties
Vitamin C	Moderate amount	Moderate amount

*Values based on typical entries in national nutrient databases for plain cooked potato and sweet potato.

The numbers show why both fit well in balanced meals. Potatoes bring steady starch and vitamin C, while sweet potatoes stand out for beta carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A.

Growing Potatoes And Sweet Potatoes In A Home Garden

Gardeners often ask whether they can treat both crops the same way in raised beds or containers. Once again, their distant relationship shows up in planting stock, spacing, and climate needs.

Potatoes usually start from “seed potatoes,” which are small tubers or cut pieces with eyes that sprout. They prefer cool conditions, loose soil, and hilling that covers young tubers as plants grow. Many gardeners plant them in early spring, harvest in mid to late summer, and start again the next year with fresh seed tubers.

Soil, Pests, And Rotation

Because potatoes and sweet potatoes belong to different families, they attract different suites of pests and diseases. Potatoes may suffer from late blight and Colorado potato beetle, while sweet potatoes face weevils and root rots that call for their own set of management steps.

In crop rotation plans, gardeners often separate Solanaceae crops such as potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers from beds that hold members of Convolvulaceae. That pattern spreads disease pressure, makes better use of soil nutrients, and respects the family lines that botanists draw on paper.

What This Relationship Means For Your Kitchen Choices

Knowing that potatoes and sweet potatoes are only distant relatives clears up naming confusion and helps you plan meals with more intention. When a recipe calls for one and you reach for the other, you are not switching cousins from the same family, you are reaching for a different crop that happens to carry a similar name.

For weekday cooking, that knowledge turns into small, practical choices:

• Reach for potatoes when you want fluffy bakes, crisp fries, or neutral mash that soaks up sauces.
• Choose sweet potatoes when you want natural sweetness, more color, and a soft, creamy texture.
• Combine both on a tray or in a hash when you want contrast in color and flavor in a single pan.

In the end, both crops share enough history to sit in the same order and enough differences to sit in separate families. That split explains why they look, taste, grow, and cook the way they do, and it gives you one more layer of understanding every time you pick up a bag of potatoes or a pile of sweet potatoes at the market. That small insight makes everyday choices at the stove feel deliberate and calm.