What does it mean when my sweet potato vine is blooming?

Should I remove the blooms?
Will it matter?

The variety I've grown for 20 years has never bloomed.  
The one blooming is a purple variety...slips off of potatoes grown here locally.
It looks like just one plant has flowers and buds.
Seems like I read once that day length can cause this?
These are the earliest ones I planted

Sweet potatoes do bloom occasionally, some varieties more than others. I have been breeding them from true seeds for several years and other than a genetic component I still do not know what environmental factors encourage blooms. Some do it later in the season that others, but I've also had them bloom when just small seedlings. I'm also aware that they do bloom more freely in longer season, warmer climates such as yours. It may be that day length or just a longer growing time can influence blooming in some varieties.

They have very complicated genetics which makes breeding a bit frustrating at times but also lots of fun and even with those years of watching them I can't even guess why a variety that never bloomed before is doing it now. But there is no reason to remove the bloom.  Even those that bloom a lot and actually mature seeds, suffer no reduction in yield. If the bloom isn't pollinated it will just fall off.

Because of their weird genetics they are generally not self-compatible, but some are, if you have a nice population of bees and the like or if you hand pollinate you might luck into getting some seeds. If you have more than one variety and they bloom together, you have much greater chance of getting seeds.

Also because of the weird genetics every seed grow plant is a new and unique variety, even if it was self-pollinated, ain't that a hoot?

Some just bloom. I always grew a purple variety in Hawaii, and it bloomed like crazy. You'll notice they look a lot like morning glories, because they are in the same family. Good for certain pollinators.

If those were my vines, I'd leave the blossoms and let the vines express their full sweet-potatoness and provide joy to pollinating insets. Upon closer look, it appears to me that there is an insect inside the blossom in the picture. Your vines look healthy and vibrant.

Are they edible?

Thanks everyone!
After I posted this they have not had one bloom...we finally had a good rain though and they are growing fast...poked around at the base of a couple and see some nice roots already... we usually leave them in the ground another two months so hoping for a bumper crop!

Carla, I haven't tried eating the foliage on the purple ones but a while back tried the other one that I grow, a cutleafed variety, and didn't find it palatable.
We are big 'eat the weeds' folks so I expected to like them.  
...might have to try again?

Heh - I meant the blossoms?

Carla Burke wrote:Heh - I meant the blossoms?

From everything I've seen the entire plant is edible, and that the purple may have more nutrition, but I'm pretty sure that means the leaves and roots. Flowers just aren't that common so maybe few people have tried them. My guess is that they probably are, but that's just a guess. Personally, I would be a bit leery of eating them.

As far as the leaves go, I'm not a big fan. Raw they feel to me like having soap in my mouth, although they don't taste like soap. They're ok cooked like added to a soup or raw, in small amounts in a salad. I've read that dried and powdered the leaves make a good thickening for stews and the like, but I've never tried that either.