Since Ipomoea lacunosa is native to the United States, the plant can be found in multiple areas throughout the country.

The states that the whitestar potato can be found in are as follows: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Washington D.C., Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Montana, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

[5] Ipomoea lacunosa occurs in a variety of habitat types, including disturbed areas, It grows on prairie, riverbanks, lakeshores, and roadsides, and in cultivated and abandoned fields and meadows.

[6] Insects associated with the plant include bees such as bumblebees, Melitoma taurea, Peponapis pruinosa, and Cemolobus ipomoea.

The larvae of the plume moth Emmelina monodactyla feeds on the foliage, and it is host to several tortoise beetles.

[6] The stem of I. lacunosa is a slightly hairy (white hairs), twisting, climbing and twining vine with a small taproot.

The whitestar potato that it produces is traditionally consumed by a number of Native American tribes like the Chiricahua Apaches.

[citation needed] Other animals usually avoid eating this plant due to the high alkaloid content which makes it unpalatable.