Dioscorea schimperiana

Hochst. ex Kunth

DioscoreaceaeRootsScore: 23/100

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Tubers, Root, Bulbils

Tubers - cooked. Bulbils - cooked.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. It grows in subsaharan Africa. It grows near river banks and can be amongst rocks or on termite mounds. It grows between 800-1,800 m altitude.

Africa, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Congo DR, East Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, 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. The vine can be 8 m long. It has a single tuber. This is 3 cm wide and 60 cm long. It grows downwards into the soil. The stem twines to the right. It is stout and does not have prickles. The leaves are usually opposite. They are 10-20 cm long and heart shaped. The flowers hang down in spikes in the axils of leaves. It can have bulbils. They are 1 cm across. The fruit are 4 winged capsules. They become papery when dry.

Nutrition Score: 23/100

Part	Moisture	kJ	kcal	Protein	Vit A	Vit C	Iron	Zinc
Tubers	77	323	77	1.2	—	—	—	—

Other Information

It is a famine food.

Notes

There are about 650 species of Dioscorea.

Names & Synonyms

Ankorumba, Buliga-kubwa, Intendene, Itugu, Ituguligwa, Kansa, Kilumbu, Mutendeni, Nyamunwu, Yagniat

Dioscorea fulvida Stapf.Dioscorea hockii De Wild.Dioscorea schimperiana var. adamaowense Jacq.-Fel.Dioscorea schimperiana var. vestita PaxDioscorea stellatopilosa De Wild.Dioscorea stellatopilosa var. cordata De Wild.

References (20)

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www.zimbabweflora.co.zw 2011