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Dioscorea bulbifera

Authority L. Family Liliopsida:Liliidae:Dioscoreales:Dioscoreaceae Synonyms Discorea latifolia Benth. Common names acom, Aerial yam, air potato yam, akam yam, bitter yam, cara' de espinho, cara' de Sao Tome', cara' de sapateiro, cara' do ar, figado de peru', hoi, inhame, Otaheite potato, Otaheite yam, potato yam, ufi sina, ufi soi Editor Ecocrop code 938

Notes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION A climbing, glabrous vine, with stems up to 10 m in length, producing aerial tubers or bulbils in the leaf axils. The bulbils are large, liver-shaped, about 0.5-1.2 kg, succulent, rounded, 8-10 cm in length and 5 cm in diameter, with grey or brown skin and white or pale yellow flesh. Leaves simple, pale green and up to 30 cm in length. USES The bulbils are prepared like yams. They should be thoroughly cooked or roasted to destroy toxic constituents which include the alkaloid dioscorine. The underground tubers of the plant are hard, bitter, and unpalatable. GROWING PERIOD Perennial vine, bulbils are normally produced 140-180 days after planting, exceptionally after 90-120 days. Harvest continue up to 300 days. COMMON NAMES Potato yam, Air potato, Aerial yam, Bulbil-bearing yam, Ycam, Pousse en l'air, Name de Gunda, Gaithi, Ratuli, Oobi Singapore, Ubi atatus, Man nok, Kattala, Banalu, Bayag-toro, Ubi-ubihan, Kasiena, Khoinga, Akam, Akom, Danda yam, Batata de Rama, Cara de aire, Cara de Espinho, Cara de Sapateiro, Name del aire, Name Congo, Name Criolo, Name de Mata, Papa Caribe, Papa del aire, Acom, Otaheite potato. FURTHER INF Scientific synonyms: D. crispata, D. heterophylla, D. latifolia, D. oppositifolia, D. papilaris, D. pulchella, D. sativa, D. sylvestris, D. tunga, D. violacea, Helmia bulbifera. Cultivars vary in dormancy requirements. There are two forms of potato yams, the Asian and the African. Yields of bulbils vary between 2-15 t/ha, with an average yield about 3-5 t/ha.
Sources
SOURCES (Dioscorea bulbifera L.) Tindall H 1983 pp 201-202 & 207-210 [TEMP, RAIN, PHO, TEXT, FER] Duke J 1975 pp 14 [PH, RAIN, TEMP] Roecklein J 1987 pp 463 [USE] Purseglove J 1972 pp 102-103 [USE] Onwueme I 1991 pp 251-266 [TEMP, RAIN, PHO, LIG, FER, TEXT]