High John the Conqueror

High John the Conqueror root is identified as Ipomoea Jalapa, a red morning glory in most texts and now all over the net. However, there are a few things that bothered me with this designation. The first of which is it is used in HooDoo which is originated in the barrier islands of North and South Caroline and Louisiana and favored by slaves as the legend of John the Conqueror is of a slave. The plant is native to Mexico, South America and some parts of Southern Europe.
So, why would this plant be John the Conqueror root? It doesn't grow in the area in which Hoodoo and much of Voudoun are practiced in this country.
Then the other night while looking something else up, I came upon what must be the real John the Conqueror plant. It is Ipomoea Microdactyla which is a red morning glory that is native from the pine rocklands of Miami-Dade County to the Bahamas and Cuba. It's range is zones 10/11. The Bahamas and Cuba were stop overs for slave ships where slaves were sorted and cleaned up before bringing them ashore to the southern states. No doubt, this plant will grow in other locations because it produces a giant tubor like root. It  is sometimes called small fingers because of the small projections that often grow from the root.
Now comes the part that I think lends to the legend. After a fire in the area where this plant grows, it really takes off, covering everything and creating a showy display of bright scarlet flowers. It uses the burnt stems of other plants as a trellis.
It is endangered in Florida because the native rocklands are being destroyed for development. In Cuba it is called Bejuco colorado which means red reed or red rattan. It is also called: Man in the Ground.
Since the plant is so beautiful and red morning glories are seldom seen in cultivation, no one is certain why this cultivar isn't grown more.

ref: Everglades Wildflowers by Roger Hammer