Fish-poison yam
Dioscorea piscatorum

Family: Dioscoreaceae

What it is like

A yam. It keeps growing from year to year by sprouting from the tubers. The stems are woody and have prickles. They twine to the left. The tubers develop in the axils where the base of the stem touches the ground. The short roots can have thorns. The skin of the tubers is red-brown and the flesh is dark red. The leaves are simple and like paper. The leaf stalk is shorter than the leaf blade. It has small prickles. The leaf blade is heart shaped and 18 cm long by 14 cm wide. The veins are easy to see.

There are about 650 species of Dioscorea.

Where it is found

A tropical plant.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, SE Asia, Thailand

How it is used for food

Tubers are roasted and eaten. (They remain bitter if boiled.)

Edible parts

Tubers, root

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Cheriok, Cheroh, Kiyak, Tuba gunjo, Tuba podeh gantung, Tuba ubi, Uni cherok

Synonyms

Dioscorea borneensis R.Knuth;