Dioscorea schimperiana

Family: Dioscoreaceae

What it is like

A yam. The vine can be 8 m long. It has a single tuber. This is 3 cm wide and 60 cm long. It grows downwards into the soil. The stem twines to the right. It is stout and does not have prickles. The leaves are usually opposite. They are 10-20 cm long and heart shaped. The flowers hang down in spikes in the axils of leaves. It can have bulbils. They are 1 cm across. The fruit are 4 winged capsules. They become papery when dry.

There are about 650 species of Dioscorea.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in subsaharan Africa. It grows near river banks and can be amongst rocks or on termite mounds. It grows between 800-1,800 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Congo DR, East Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The bulbils are occasionally eaten. They are cooked. The tubers are cooked and eaten.

It is a famine food.

Edible parts

Tubers, root, bulbils

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Ankorumba, Buliga-kubwa, Intendene, Itugu, Ituguligwa, Kansa, Kilumbu, Mutendeni, Nyamunwu, Yagniat

Synonyms

Dioscorea fulvida Stapf.; Dioscorea hockii De Wild.; Dioscorea schimperiana var. adamaowense Jacq.-Fel.; Dioscorea schimperiana var. vestita Pax; Dioscorea stellatopilosa De Wild.; Dioscorea stellatopilosa var. cordata De Wild.;