Dioscorea orbiculata Hook.F.

Tubers several each year on long spreading stalks that may reach 2 m in length; flesh white, edible, delicate. Stem rather sparingly armed at the base, climbing to 10 m, slightly ridged, with rusty red pubescence when young. Bulbils none seen. Leaves usually opposed, rather firm, orbicular below the acumen or orbicular-ovate or orbicular-cordate, with a well developed acumen (to 2 cm long), pubescent when young but glabrescent to 18 by 14 cm, 7-nerved; the larger hairs dendroid (Fig. 6); petiole to 10 cm, pubescent. Male flowering axes 1-6 together, usually aggregated on leafless branches which may be 70 cm long; rarely a few of the axes in fascicles in leaf-axils; axis to 6 cm long with upwards of 50 flowers spaced along it at more than their own diameter apart, coated with brown dendroid hairs. Buds globose above a broad base, 1 mm long. Female flowering axes solitary, up to 15 cm long and with upwards of 30 flowers; axis with a coating of brown hairs. Capsules large, becoming glabrous before reaching full size; apex truncate; base rounded-truncate; wings to 30 by 26 mm; stipe 8-9 mm.

By no means uncommon in Perak, fl. Oct.-Nov., but also in the less rainy months May-June.

Econ. The Pagan tribes of the Malay Peninsula eat the tubers.