Dioscorea prainiana R.Knuth

Species

Angiosperms > Dioscoreales > Dioscoreaceae > Dioscorea

Characteristics

Tuber thrust deep into the soil, subglobose, to 30 by 15 cm, on the end of a stalk perhaps 30 cm long, flesh yellow. Stem climbing to 16 m, unarmed, to 5 mm in diam. at the base. Plant glabrous. Bulbils not seen. Leaves alternate on the thinner stems and opposed on the thicker, elliptic or ovate-elliptic, to 15 by 7 cm, acuminate, base rounded, 5-7-nerved, the outermost nerves when there are 7 very weak and submarginal, 5-nerves more usual; secondary nerves only a little more distinct than the network which is only just visible on the upper surface; lower surface with prominent primary nerves; petiole to 6 cm or ⅓ to ¼ the length of the blade. Male flowering axes gathered into decurved inflorescences which may be 60 cm long; the axes themselves to 8 cm with upwards of 60 flowers set their own diameter apart. Buds ovoid and not exceeding 1½ mm in length. Female flowering axes to 50 cm long, markedly angled. Capsules relatively large; wings 25 by 30 mm, apex retuse to almost truncate, base almost truncate.
More
A yam. It keeps growing from year to year by sprouting from the tubers. The stems do not have thorns. The stems grow 16 m long. They twine to the right. There is one tuber. It is a flattened round shape. It can be 30 cm long and 15 cm wide. It grows at the end of a stalk and can be 30 cm in the soil. It has yellow flesh. It does not have bulbils. The leaves are simple and soft. They occur alternately on thin stems. They occur opposite on thicker stems. The leaf stalk is 6 cm long. The leaf blade is oval and 15 cm long by 7 cm wide. The male flowering stalks are 60 cm long. The female flowering stalks are 50 cm long. The capsule is large and has wings.
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

Ascending in the Malay Peninsula to 350 m, but in Sumatra to 500 m and yet higher.
More
A tropical plant. It grows up to 500 m altitude.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

The tubers are boiled or roasted and eaten.
Uses food medicinal
Edible roots tubers
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

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 -

Distribution

Dioscorea prainiana world distribution map, present in Indonesia, Iceland, Malaysia, and Singapore

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:318452-1
WFO ID wfo-0000394015
COL ID 36D5H
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Dioscorea deflexa Dioscorea prainiana Dioscorea maliliensis