Dioscorea asteriscus
Burkill
DioscoreaceaeRoots
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Meise Botanic Garden
Meise Botanic Garden
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GBIF
GBIF
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Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
What to Eat
Edible parts: Roots, Tubers
The roots and tubers are edible.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant.
Africa, Burundi, Central Africa, Congo DR, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
Countries: Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Benin, Botswana, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Comoros, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
How to Identify
A yam vine. The tuber are round. The stems are twining and 3 m long. The leaves are alternate and 14 cm long and broad. The leaf stalks are 8 cm long. There are bulbils or aerial tubers along the vin. These are an irregular and a flattened round shape. They are 5 cm across and deep purple. The seeds have wings at the base end.
References (2)
- Nzigidahera, B., 2006, Assessment of Socio-cultural, Economic Characteristics and Livelihood of Riparian Population of the Kibira National Park. (Rukoma-Mutana locality). UNDP p 30 (As astericum)
- White, F., Dowsett-Lemaire, F. & Chapman, J. D., 2001, Evergreen Forest Flora of Malawi. Kew Botanical Gardens. p 96
