Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam.) is one of the most important staple crops globally with particular cultural and economic significance in the Hawaiian Islands, yet the extent to which traditional cultivars persist remains unknown. The objective of this study was to elucidate the relationships between traditional Hawaiian sweet potato varieties and cultivars that originated elsewhere in the world. We sought to characterize genetic and phenotypic diversity of sweet potatoes represented in the Hawaiian Islands. To this end, a genetic assignment analysis was conducted on a sample of 77 individuals that consisted of traditional Hawaiian, USDA NPGS accessions, and recent herbarium samples. Additionally, voucher specimens of Hawaiian cultivars from the early twentieth century were assessed for variation in leaf morphology. We identified several inconsistencies within the Hawaiian-named varieties, as identically named varieties turned out to be genetically distinct, and similarly named voucher specimens varied in leaf morphology. Our findings call attention to the value of a set of Hawaiian sweet potatoes as “heirloom.” These genetically distinct traditional cultivars have unique value in local markets and present an opportunity to increase cultivar diversity in the markets and fields, support farmer income and diversified agriculture, all while contributing to reinvigoration of Hawaiian cultural heritage.

甘薯（番薯）[L.] Lam。）是全球最重要的主食作物之一，在夏威夷群岛具有特殊的文化和经济意义，但传统品种的可持续程度仍然未知。这项研究的目的是阐明夏威夷传统的甘薯品种与起源于世界其他地方的栽培品种之间的关系。我们试图表征夏威夷群岛中代表的甘薯的遗传和表型多样性。为此，对77名个体进行了基因分配分析，这些个体包括传统的夏威夷人，USDA NPGS入藏物和最近的植物标本室。此外，还评估了20世纪初期夏威夷品种的凭证标本的叶片形态变化。我们确定了夏威夷命名品种中的几个不一致之处，因为同名品种在遗传上是不同的，而同名凭证标本的叶片形态也各不相同。我们的发现提醒人们注意一组夏威夷红薯作为“传家宝”的价值。这些遗传上不同的传统品种在当地市场上具有独特的价值，并提供了增加市场和田间品种多样性，支持农民收入和多样化农业的机会，同时也为夏威夷文化遗产的复兴做出了贡献。