We bought a single starter vine at Lowe’s in TN marked as “sweet potato vine”

Question

We planted the sweet potato vine in our flower bed thinking it’s a pretty vine. We just pulled all this up from the soil. My google search says “purple speckled potato”. My friends on FB say it’s wild and poisonous. They’re bright purple, white on the inside and HUGE.
Can you identify and tell me if they’d be good to cook with?

Answer 1

They are, indeed, ornamental sweet potatoes. They are also just as edible, although not near as sweet. They will be starchy and resemble potatoes.

All Ipomea (sweet potatoes, morning glories, etc) are edible when cooked. This includes leaves and roots, and flowers as well. Flowers can be consumed raw, but it is better to cook the plant since it can be a bit bitter.