Native to tropical Africa and Asia, air potato arrived in North American gardens with the best of intentions and promptly made itself at home in the worst possible way. Capable of extending eight inches in a single day, its heart-shaped leaves can smother trees whole, climbing up to 70 feet on vines that, once dead, become scaffolding for the next wave of growth. The aerial bulbils — ranging from pea-sized to grapefruit-sized knobs tucked at every leaf node — drop readily and each one sprouts with cheerful indifference to where it lands.

This entry exists as a record and a warning. Air potato is listed as invasive by the NC Invasive Plant Council and should not be planted. The leaf beetle Lilioceris cheni has been released in Florida as a biological control, its larvae consuming the aerial fruits — a rare case of a pest being welcomed. Gardeners looking for vigorous native vines will find far better-mannered options that climb with equal enthusiasm without rewriting the landscape around them.