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Dioscorea bulbifera
Dioscorea bulbifera is a perennial vine with broad leaves and two types of storage organs. The plant forms bulbils in the leaf axils of the twining stems, and tubers beneath the ground. These tubers are like small, oblong potatoes, family belong to Solanaceae or Dioscoreaceae and they are edible and cultivated as a food crop, especially in West Africa. The tubers often have a bitter taste, which can be removed by boiling. They can then be prepared in the same way as other yams, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. The air potato is one of the most widely-consumed yam species.It can grow up to 150 feet tall. Air potato can grow extremely quickly, roughly 8 inches per day, and eventually reach over 60 feet long. It typically climbs to the tops of trees and has a tendency to take over native plants. New plants develop from bulbils that form on the plant, and these bulbils serve as a means of dispersal. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioscorea_b...
Nice looking heart-shaped leaves.
Spotted on May 25, 2012
Submitted on May 27, 2012
4 Comments
Thank you Ron for correcting.
Please remove Ipomoea pandurata from the tags as it is as VineWorld stated and is NOT any Ipomoea at all...inciorrect tags cause confusion for those attempting to learn the correct botanical names...
Thank you VineWorld. Will change ID.
This is Air Potato; Dioscorea bulbifera.