| BRIEF DESCRIPTION A climbing vine with robust, spiny stems reaching up to 6-8 m in length. The leaves are trifoliate with ovate leaflets, 12-15 cm long and 6-9 cm wide. The underground tubers may be single or in a cluster weighing several kg with white, pale or dark yellow flesh. USES The tubers should be thoroughly soaked in water to remove the toxic constituents. They are used as boiled vegetable. GROWING PERIOD Perennial vine, tubers normally mature in 240-300 days from planting. COMMON NAMES Bitter yam, African bitter yam, Cluster yam, Three-leaved yam, Trifoliate yam, Esuri yam, Name amargo. FURTHER INF Scientific synonyms: D. daemona, D. triphylla. Bitter yam is indigenous to tropical Africa. It is mainly found in West Africa, primarily eastern Nigeria. It can be grown from sea level up to 1500 m of elevation in the tropics in both dry and humid areas. |
SOURCES (D. dumetorum (Kunth) Pax)
Tindall H 1983 pp 201-202 & 212-213 [TEMP, RAIN, PHO, TEXT, FER]
Onwueme I 1991 pp 250-266 [TEMP, RAIN, PHO, LIG, FER, TEXT] |