African bitter yam, Cluster yam, Three leafed yam
Dioscorea dumetorum

Family: Dioscoreaceae

What it is like

A climbing yam plant. It can be 10 m long. The vine twines left or clockwise. The vine is robust and has prickles near the base. The leaf has 3 leaflets. The flowers are small and round. Sometimes it forms bulbils or small aerial yams along the stem. Underground the tubers are usually fused together to form a cluster. Some wild forms are very poisonous. The tubers vary in shape and colour. There is often a main tuber with deep lobes then small tubers around it. They are near the soil surface and 3-7 cm across. The flesh can be white, pale yellow or dark yellow.

There are about 650 species of Dioscorea. The tuber contains a water soluble toxicant, dioscorine, which is leached out.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It is native to tropical Africa. It grows between 15°N and 15°S. It grows on the edges of forests and along river banks. It occurs between 500-1,400 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Asia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo DR, Congo R, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, India, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

CAUTION: Some forms are poisonous. They must be processed before being used. The tuber is boiled, peeled, sliced, pounded, and steeped in running (preferably salt) water then dried. It is also used to make an alcoholic drink. Caution: Alcohol is a cause of cancer.

It is a commercially cultivated vegetable. A famine food.

Edible parts

Tubers, caution, leaves, vegetable, root

How it is grown

Plants are grown from setts or section of the tubers. Sections of the vine can be used.

A crop takes 8-10 months to maturity. Tubers are collected soon after the rainy season finishes.

Its other names

Local names

Chinkolongo, Cinkolongo, Dimhue, E-dyeny, Ekesya-bangoya, Elenge, Esuri yam, Esuru, Idiya, Ikamba, Inkolongo, Kigongo, Kikwa, Kinana, Kotonto, Kulu sanga, Lefe, Ma-nyeny, Mabaia, Mpeta, Ndiga, Ndiya, Nkanfo, Nkasa, Rogon biri, Trifoliate yam, Tugu, Yayii

Synonyms

Dioscorea triphylla Schimp. ex Kunth; Dioscorea triphylla Schimp. ex Kunth var. tomentosa Rendle; Dioscorea triphylla Schimp. ex Kunth var. dumetorum (Kunth) R. Kunth; Dioscorea triphylla Schimp. ex Kunth var. abyssinica R. Knuth; Dioscorea triphylla Schimp. ex Kunth var. rotundata R. Knuth; Dioscorea buchholziana Engl.; Helmia dumetorum Kunth;