Ipomoea batatas `Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Red` is a moderately compact cultivar producing many shoots and having dense foliage. This cultivar is distinguishable from other cultivars by its small to medium-sized, heart-shaped, red-purple to red-bronze colored leaves. The plant has good vigor, but is less vigorous than Ipomoea batatas `Margarita` and `Blackie`, and unlike these cultivars, `Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Red` may be grown in containers with other species. The production of flowers by `Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Red` is relatively rare even under short day conditions.