Dioscorea melanophyma

Family: Dioscoreaceae

What it is like

A yam. It is a climbing plant. The stems twine clockwise. It has a fleshy round tuber. The tuber has roots. The leaves are alternate and have 3-5 leaflets. The leaflets are 4-14 cm long by 1-2.5 cm wide. They are narrowly sword shaped. It has black bulbils along the stem. The fruit is a capsule 1.5 cm long by 0.5 cm wide.

There are about 650 species of Dioscorea.

Where it is found

It is a subtropical plant. It grows in Uttar Pradesh in India between 1200-3000 m altitude. In southern China it grows on the edges of forests between 1,300-2,500 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Himalayas, India, Nepal, Northeastern India, Pakistan, Sikkim, Tibet

How it is used for food

The tuberous roots are thoroughly washed, boiled and cooked as a vegetable. They are boiled or used in stir fries.

Edible parts

Tuber, root

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Ban-geithi, Ban gethi, Bon-zon-za-lu, Gethu, Hash, Huangshayue, Mag, y-Manghaii

Synonyms

Dioscorea tenuii R. Knuth.;