Biter jessie
Dioscorea polygonoides

Family: Dioscoreaceae

What it is like

A yam. It is a climbing plant that keeps growing from year to year by producing slender twining stems from a large tuberous rootstock. The vine can be 8 m long. The stems are almost cylinder shaped. The leaves are alternate and oval with 7-11 veins. The leaves are 8-21 cm long by 5-17 cm wide. They taper to the tip and are heart shaped at the base. The upper surface is shiny and the lower surface is dull. The leaf stalks are 5-8 cm long. The bulbils on the stem are angular and 5 cm wide. The flowers hang down in the axils of the leaves. They can be branched and 50 cm long. The flowers are in groups without stalks. The capsule has 3 wings and is about 3 cm long.

There are about 650 species of Dioscorea.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in rainforest clearings. It is often on limestone soils. It grows between 150-900 m in Jamaica.

Countries/locations it is found in

Antilles, Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Caribbean, Central America, Dominican Republic, Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, North America, Puerto Rico, South America, Suriname, Venezuela, West Indies

How it is used for food

The root is cooked and eaten. It is also roasted and ground into a powder and used as a coffee substitute.

Edible parts

Tubers, root

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Cara, Cara-do-mato, Cheen chaak, Macal kuch ak, Makal k'uuch ak'

Synonyms

Dioscorea altissima Sieber ex C. Presl [Illegitimate]; Dioscorea caracasana Kunth; Dioscorea kegeliana Griseb.; Dioscorea lutea G. Mey.; Dioscorea martinicensis Spreng.; Dioscorea sieberi Kunth;