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Dioscorea bulbifera
Native to tropical Asia. Introduced invasive in Florida, growing in parks and wooded areas such as pinelands and hammocks.
This invasive vine in the Florida Noxious Weed List is unfortunately very abundant at this parks' hardwood hammock. The leaf is attractive resembling large green hearts. The plant grows fast over other shrubs and trees. In pic 2 you can see it smothering a palm. In pic 3 you can see the intertwining stems and tendrils forming a sort of braided cord. According to a kiosk in the park there is an introduced beetle for biological control, however in my walk today I noticed no beetle leaf damage. Although considered to be a species of yam, "strains in the United States are not flavorful they are bitter and some are potentially poisonous." - See more at: http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/hab...
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