Storage roots are an important ecological strategy for plants as they reserve carbohydrates essential for plant survival after natural stress like droughts, and/or wildfire. Storage roots occur in at least 71 species of Convolvulaceae, 35 of which occur in Africa. These numbers are likely, in reality, higher than documented ones, since roots are not consistently collected or recorded in botanical expeditions. Genus Ipomoea L., which contains sweet potato and its wild relatives, is a large, diverse genus in family Convolvulaceae distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics. Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) is a storage root with high nutritive value. It produces more edible energy per hectare per day than wheat, rice, or cassava; and its leaves and shoots are also edible. Recent studies have looked at the systematics and evolution of Ipomoea, albeit with methodological and sampling limitations; for example, of the 128 Ipomoea species occurring in Kenya, only 79 species have been included in previous molecular studies. The level of conservation threat of Ipomoea is also largely unknown, whereby only 4% of species across tropical regions have so far been assessed; besides, the latest taxonomic works for the region pre-date molecular analysis of the group and it is also possible that targeted studies in this highly diverse area will reveal new species. This project aims at evaluation of the Ipomoea species found in the East Africa region with a focus of finding wild relatives of sweet potato native in the region. In addition, advanced genomic techniques will be used to investigate the evolution and diversification of the wild relatives, and Ipomoea species in general, with focused sampling of the understudied East African species; thus, providing analytical tools for biodiversity conservation, and food security strategies in the face of climate change for the region.