Dioscorea nummularia
Lamarck
Nummularia yam
(c) j_tari, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) j_tari, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Tubers, Root
The tubers are cooked and eaten. Plants are traditionally grown near trees for the vine to climb, with the tuber left in place for several years and harvested annually. It can be propagated from tuber pieces or aerial tubers.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. Mostly they occur in coastal areas. In Papua New Guinea it has been recorded up to 2,000 m above sea level. Outside Papua New Guinea it occurs in Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Solomon Islands.
American Samoa, Asia, Australia, Bougainville, Brazil, Cook Islands, Fiji, Guam, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Marquesas, Micronesia, New Caledonia, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, Rotuma, Samoa, SE Asia, Solomon Islands, South America, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis & Futuna, Yap,
How to Identify
A yam. A vine plant with long spiny stems. The stems are nearly round in cross section. The leaves are oval to heart shaped. They end abruptly in a pointed tip. Often they are alternate lower on the vine then opposite each other higher up the plant. The vines twine to the right. The stems are spiny near the base. The flowers are slender. The flower spikes occur on leafless branches produced in the axils of leaves and these are longer than the leaf near where they are produced. The flower spikes remain of equal size along the length of this flowering branch. Tubers are often deep in the soil and with several lobes.
Nutrition Score: 36/100
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuber | 71.9 | 443 | 106 | 2.04 | 17 | — | 0.38 | 0.5 |
How to Grow
It can be grown from pieces of the tuber. It can also be grown from aerial tubers. Plants are often planted near trees so that the vine can climb the tree and the tuber is left growing in the same spot for several years with tubers being harvested annually.
Propagation: Seed - not normally used to propagate this species. Cuttings of tubers. Small tubers can be cut into 2 - 4 sections, larger ones into 6 - 8 sections. Each section should have 2 - 3 dormant buds. The cut tuber is often left in the sun for several hours to promote wound healing and reduce the risk of fungal infection.
Other Uses
The tough stems are used for cordage.
Production
The leaves die off and re-grow each year. The tuber does not store well.
Other Information
A minor edible yam. It is cultivated.
Notes
There are about 650 species of Dioscorea.
Names & Synonyms
Dago, Dee, Fua kele, Kaukau roa, Kwalo asobe, Nuduo, Parai, Paroi, Pirita, Prickly Yam, Rauva, Rawa, Thap, Tikau, Tivoli, Tivolo yam, Ubing basol, Ubu, Ufi palai, Ufi parai, 'Uh kele, Uhi parai, Uhitonga
References (25)
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