Dioscorea quartiniana

Family: Dioscoreaceae

What it is like

A yam. It is a strong slender twiner or climber. It can be 6 m long. The vine twines to the left. It does not have spines. There are a cluster of tubers that are oval or long. The stems are wiry. The leaves are alternate. The leaves have 5 (3-7) leaflets. The leaflets are often arched backwards. The leaves taper to the base and have a threadlike tip. The leaves are 5 cm long by 2 cm wide. Leaf shape can vary. There can be lumpy bulbils along the stems. The female flowers do not have stalks. They are in single slender spikes in the axils of leaves.

There are about 650 species of Dioscorea.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It occurs throughout most of Subsaharan Africa. It grows in forest and grassland. It grows from sea level to 2,000 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Asia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, Comoros, Congo, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, India, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

Caution; The tubers are poisonous unless properly prepared. They are peeled and soaked in water for several days. Then they are washed, sliced and dried in the sun. They are then pounded into flour.

A famine food. Tubers are sold in local markets. It is cultivated.

Edible parts

Tubers, caution, root

How it is grown

The tubers are collected after the end of the rainy season. The dried flour can be stored.

Its other names

Local names

Baiyang sanga, Gumbo, Itugu, Ituguligwa, Kilumbu, Kuba, Lunyawolwendlovu, Ndiga, Sikubabe, Tugu, Unyawo-lwendlovu

Synonyms

Dioscorea anchiatasi Harms [Invalid]; Dioscorea anchietae Harms ex R. Knuth; Dioscorea angolensis R. Knuth; Dioscorea apiculata De Willd.; Dioscorea beccariana Martelli; Dioscorea crinita Hook.; Dioscorea cryptantha Baker; Dioscorea dinteri Schinz; Dioscorea excisa R. Kunth; Dioscorea forbesii Baker; Dioscorea gossweileri R. Knuth; Dioscorea holstii Harms; Dioscorea pentadactyla (Pax) Welw.; Dioscorea pentaphylla A. Rich. non L.; Dioscorea peteri R. Knuth; Dioscorea phaseoloides Pax; Dioscorea quartiniana var. apiculata (De Willd.) Burkill; Dioscorea quartiniana var. dinteri (Schinz) Burkill; Dioscorea quartiniana var. excisa (Kunth) Burkill; Dioscorea quartiniana var. quartiniana Milne-Redhead; Dioscorea quartiniana var. schliebenii (Kunth) Burkill; Dioscorea quartiniana var. stuhlmannii (Harms) Burkill; Dioscorea quartiniana var. vera Burkill; Dioscorea schliebenii R. Kunth; Dioscorea schweinfurthiana Pax; Dioscorea stuhlmannii Harms; Dioscorea ulugurensis R. Knuth; Dioscorea verdickii De Wild.;