Dyeing yam, Cu nau, Cu mao
Dioscorea cirrhosa

Family: Dioscoreaceae

What it is like

A yam. It is a vine. It keeps growing from year to year. It has a large underground tuber. The tubers can vary in shape. This produces annual stems that are scrambling or twining. The stems twine to the right. They can be 20 m long. They are prickly at the base. The leaves are whitish underneath. They are oval and 5-20 cm long by 1-14 cm wide.

It was cultivated for its dye. The tubers are high in tannin.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in secondary forest. In southern China it grows up to 1,500 m above sea level. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Indochina, Laos, Philippines, SE Asia, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The tubers are cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

It is a famine food.

Edible parts

Root, tuber

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Ai la ma a si, Cu'nau, Huoyilong, Khoai leng, Shu liang

Synonyms

Dioscorea angusta R. Knuth; Dioscorea bonnetii A. Chev.; Dioscorea camphorifolia Uline ex R. Knuth; Dioscorea cirrhosa var. cylindrica C. T. Ting & M. C. Chang; Dioscorea intempestiva Prain & Burkill; Dioscorea matsudae Hayata; Dioscorea rhipogonoides Oliv.;