Dioscorea tomentosa — Edible Plant Database

What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Tubers, Root, Caution

The tuber is cut into pieces, washed in running water for 3 days, then boiled and eaten. It can also be steamed, roasted, or used in curries.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

It is a tropical plant. It grows on the edge of the forests in the Nilgiri hills. It can be up to 1,400 m above sea level.

Asia, India, Myanmar, SE Asia, Sri Lanka,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

How to Identify

A yam. The vine twines to the left. The leaves have a grey covering. The leaves are alternate. The upper leaves have 3 leaflets and the lower leaves often 5-6 leaflets. The flowers are purple and in spikes in the axils of leaves. The fruit are winged capsules. They have 3 seeds.

Nutrition Score: 36/100

Part	Moisture	kJ	kcal	Protein	Vit A	Vit C	Iron	Zinc
Tubers	71.9	1714	—	8.5	—	—	23.7	1.1

Notes

There are about 650 species of Dioscorea.

Names & Synonyms

Adavi kiska, Duri sanga, Kyway-pin, Nalaveli kizhangu, Noolvalli, Noorai, Nurai, Rebayan sanga

Helmia tomentosa (Koenig ex Spreng.) Kunth

References (9)

Arinathan, V., et al, 2007, Wild edibles used by Palliyars of the western Ghats, Tamil Nadu. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. 6(1) pp 163-168
Arinathan, V., et al, 2009, Nutritional and Anti-nutritional attributes of some under-utilized tubers. Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems 10: 273-278
Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 276
Misra, R. C., et al, 2013, Genetic resources of wild tuberous food plants traditionally used in Similipal Biosphere Reserve, Odisha, India. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. Vol. 60 No. 2. Springer
Mohan, V. R. & Kalidass, C., 2010, Nutritional and Antinutritional Evaluation of some Unconventional Wild Edible Plants. Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems, 12 (2010): 495- 506
Rasingam, L., 2012, Ethnobotanical studies on the wild edible plants of Irula tribes of Pillur Valley, Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, India. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine. (2012) S1493-S1497
Reddy, K. N. et al, 2007, Traditional knowledge on wild food plants in Andhra Pradesh. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. Vol. 6(1): 223-229
Samydurai, P., et al, 2012, Wild habits of Kolli Hills being staple food of inhabitant tribes of eastern Ghats, Tamil Nadu, India. Indian Journal of Natural Products and Resources. 3(3) September 2012 pp 432-437
Singh, H.B., Arora R.K.,1978, Wild edible Plants of India. Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi. p 25