The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots that are an important root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. The edible tuberous root is long and tapered, with a smooth skin whose colour ranges between red, purple, brown and beige. Its flesh ranges from beige through yellow, orange, and purple. Besides simple starches, sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, beta carotene (a vitamin A equivalent nutrient), vitamin C, and vitamin B6. Pink, yellow and green varieties are high in carotene, the precursor of vitamin A.