Characteristics
A yam. It has small tubers. The stems twine anticlockwise. The leaves are usually opposite and simple. They are 8-13 cm long and 2-9 cm wide. They vary in shape. The leaf stalk is 6.5 cm long. The male flower spikes are 3-4 cm long and occur as 1 or 2 together in the axils of leaves. The female flower spikes are 6-12 cm long and often occur singly. The fruit capsules are 3 cm long and 3 cm wide.
| Life form |
annual
|
| Growth form |
herb
|
| Growth support |
climber
|
| Foliage retention |
-
|
| Sexuality |
dioecy
|
| Pollination |
-
|
| Spread |
-
|
| Mature width (meter) |
-
|
| Mature height (meter) |
-
|
| Root system |
-
|
| Rooting depth (meter) |
-
|
| Root diameter (meter) |
-
|
| Flower color |
-
|
| Blooming months |
-
|
| Fruit color |
-
|
| Fruiting months |
-
|
| Nitrogen fixer |
-
|
| Photosynthetic pathway |
-
|
Environment
A tropical plant. In Pakistan it grows in the foothills and up to 1,400 m altitude.
| Light |
-
|
| Soil humidity |
-
|
| Soil texture |
-
|
| Soil acidity |
-
|
| Soil nutriment |
-
|
| Hardiness (USDA) |
|
Usage
The tubers are eaten after repeated boiling, washing, and baking. They are cut into small pieces for this process. The bitterness is removed when boiled with ash They are also recorded as being eaten raw.
Cultivation
| Mode |
-
|
| Germination duration (days) |
21 - 36
|
| Germination temperacture (C°) |
21 - 23
|
| Germination luminosity |
-
|
| Germination treatment |
-
|
| Minimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Optimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Size |
-
|
| Vigor |
-
|
| Productivity |
-
|
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