Dioscorea bulbifera (L.) L.

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Photo: Jos Stevens
Ferme Randu, southwest Katanga Province, DRC

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Synonyms:	Dioscorea anthropophagorum A. Chev. Dioscorea latifolia Benth. Dioscorea sativa sensu Baker Helmia bulbifera (L.) Kunth
Common names:	Air potato (English) Air yam (English) Bitter yam (English) Cheeky yam (English) Potato yam (English)
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Description:	Hairless climber with left-twining, unarmed stems, growing from an irregularly ovoid to subglobose, perennial tuber, sometimes absent. Bulbils usually present in axils, 0.6 - 3 cm in diameter and subglobose to ovoid in non-cultivated forms, flattened, angular and to 10 cm long in the cultivated forms, grey-brown to purplish-brown, verrucate. Leaves alternate, entire, apex acuminate, up to 3 cm long but never thickened, flanges often present at petiole base as a pair of membranous projections which clasp stem, to c. 5 mm in diameter, usually pale green, sometimes translucent. Male inflorescences simple or compound, flowers sessile, turned toward inflorescence apex in both genders; tepals sub-erect at anthesis, pale green in bud; male flowers on opening and at anthesis pale pink, turning maroon-purple. Capsule oblong to oblong-elliptic in outline, 1.5 - 2.5 cm long, apex not triangularly acute but rounded to subtruncate.
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Flowering time:	Feb - Mar
Worldwide distribution:	Widespread in tropical Africa and Asia. Also sometimes cultivated.
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Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 90. Milne-Redhead, E. (1975). Dioscoreaceae Flora of Tropical East Africa Pages 9 - 10. Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A Checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mount Mulanje, Malawi Scripta Botanica Belgica 34 National Botanic Garden of Belgium Page 79. White, F., Dowsett-Lemaire, F. & Chapman, J.D. (2001). Evergreen forest flora of Malawi Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Page 96. (Includes a picture). Wilkin, P. (2001). Dioscoreaceae of South-Central Africa Kew Bulletin 56(2) Pages 379 - 381. Wilkin, P. (2009). Dioscoreaceae Flora Zambesiaca 12(2) Pages 119 - 120.

Other sources of information about Dioscorea bulbifera:

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Flora of Botswana: Dioscorea bulbifera
Flora of Caprivi: Dioscorea bulbifera
Flora of the DRC: Dioscorea bulbifera
Flora of Malawi: Dioscorea bulbifera
Flora of Mozambique: Dioscorea bulbifera
Flora of Zambia: Dioscorea bulbifera
Flora of Zimbabwe: Dioscorea bulbifera
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Dioscorea bulbifera

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Dioscorea bulbifera
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Dioscorea bulbifera
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Dioscorea bulbifera
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Dioscorea bulbifera
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Dioscorea bulbifera
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Dioscorea bulbifera
JSTOR Plant Science: Dioscorea bulbifera
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Dioscorea bulbifera
Plants of the World Online: Dioscorea bulbifera
Tropicos: Dioscorea bulbifera
Wikipedia: Dioscorea bulbifera