Mvjceng at 18:56, 21 February 2026

2026-02-21T18:56:41Z

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{{Short description|Species of flowering plant in the yam family}}
{{speciesbox
|image = Dioscorea bulbifera at Kadavoor.jpg
|genus = Dioscorea
|species = bulbifera
|authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]<ref name=POWO>{{cite POWO |title=''Dioscorea bulbifera'' L. |id=323908-2 |access-date=25 November 2024}}</ref>
|synonyms =
{{Species list | hidden=yes
| Helmia bulbifera | (L.) Kunth
| Polynome bulbifera | (L.) Salisb.
| Dioscorea anthropophagorum | A.Chev.
| Dioscorea crispata | Roxb.
| Dioscorea heterophylla | Roxb.
| Dioscorea hoffa | Cordem.
| Dioscorea hofika | Jum. & H.Perrier
| Dioscorea korrorensis | R.Knuth
| Dioscorea latifolia | Benth.
| Dioscorea longipetiolata | Baudon
| Dioscorea perrieri | R.Knuth
| Dioscorea pulchella | Roxb.
| Dioscorea rogersii | Prain & Burkill
| Dioscorea tamifolia | Salisb.
| Dioscorea tenuiflora | Schltdl.
}}
|synonyms_ref = <ref name=POWO/>
}}

'''''Dioscorea bulbifera''''' (commonly known as the '''air potato''', '''air yam''', '''bitter yam''', '''cheeky yam''', '''potato yam''',<ref name=NTBG/> '''aerial yam''',<ref name=GRIN>{{GRIN | access-date = 2022-02-22}}</ref> and '''parsnip yam''')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bie.ala.org.au/species/http://id.biodiversity.org.au/node/apni/2894865|title=Dioscorea bulbifera var. elongata (F.M.Bailey) Prain & Burkill: Parsnip Yam|website=Atlas of Living Australia|access-date=6 January 2020}}</ref> is a species of true [[Yam (vegetable)|yam]] in the yam family, [[Dioscoreaceae]]. It is native to Africa, Asia and northern Australia. It is widely cultivated and has become naturalized in many regions.

==Description==
[[File:Leiden University Library - Seikei Zusetsu vol. 22, page 031 - 黄獨 - Dioscorea bulbifera L., 1804.jpg|thumb|''D. bulbifera'' L. from the Japanese [[Seikei Zusetsu]] agricultural encyclopedia]]

''Dioscorea bulbifera'' is a [[perennial]] vine with broad, alternate leaves, and two types of [[storage organ]]s. The plant forms [[bulbil]]s in the leaf axils of the twining stems, and [[tuber]]s beneath the ground. These tubers are like small, oblong potatoes.

Air potato can grow extremely quickly, roughly {{convert|8|in|cm|order=flip}} per day, and eventually reach over {{convert|60|ft|order=flip}} long.<ref>[http://texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=DIBU Invasives Database, TexasInvasives.org, Dioscorea bulbifera]</ref> It typically climbs to the tops of trees and has a tendency to take over [[native plant]]s. New plants develop from bulbils that form on the plant, and these bulbils serve as a means of [[biological dispersal|dispersal]]. The aerial [[plant stem|stems]] of air potato die back in winter, but [[resprouting]] occurs from bulbils and underground tubers.

The primary means of spread and [[plant reproduction|reproduction]] are by the bulbils. The smallest bulbils make control of air potato difficult due to their ability to sprout at a very small stage. The vine produces small white flowers; however, these are rarely seen when it grows in places such as Florida. The fruits are capsules.<ref>[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=200028093 Flora of North America, ''Dioscorea bulbifera'' Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 1033. 1753. ]</ref>

{{gallery|mode=packed
|Dioscorea bulbifera (Corm).jpg|Corm (tuber)
|Dioscorea bulbifera shoot.jpg|Shoot
|Dioscorea bulbifera bulb.jpg|[[Bulbil]]s
}}

==Distribution and habitat==
It is native to Africa, Asia and northern Australia.<ref name=POWO/> It is widely cultivated and has become naturalized in many regions (Latin America, the West Indies, the southeastern United States, and various oceanic islands).<ref name=POWO/>

It has been observed growing in habitats such as along forest edges, roadsides, as well as other environments with mesic, loamy sand.<ref>Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: May 2023. Collectors: Loran C. Anderson, W. C. Brumbach, Robert K. Godfrey, and Richard S. Mitchell. States and counties: Florida: Calhoun, Franklin, Gulf, Jackson, Lee, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Nassau, and Wakulla.</ref>

==As an invasive species==
In some places, such as Florida, it is considered a [[noxious weed]] because of its quick-growing, large-leafed vine that spreads tenaciously and shades out any plants growing beneath it. The bulbils on the vines sprout and become new vines, twisting around each other to form a thick mat. If the plant is cut to the ground, the tubers can survive for extended periods and send up new [[Shoot (botany)|shoot]]s later.<ref>{{cite web |title=Air potato takes over |work=The Nature Conservancy |url=http://www.nature.org/initiatives/invasivespecies/misc/airpotato.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070515104755/http://www.nature.org/initiatives/invasivespecies/misc/airpotato.html |archive-date=May 15, 2007 |access-date=February 10, 2013 }}</ref>

The [[leaf beetle]] ''[[Lilioceris cheni]]'' has been studied and employed as an agent of [[biological pest control]] for the plant, with releases in 2012.<ref name=usda>[https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/Lilioceris-airpotato.pdf Field release of ''Lilioceris cheni'' Gressit & Kimoto (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) for biological control of air potato, ''Dioscorea bulbifera'' (Dioscoreaceae), in the continental United States: Environmental Assessment.] USDA. 2011.</ref><ref name=miami>Morgan, C. [http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/21/3014684/in-south-florida-a-tiny-new-weapon.html In South Florida, a tiny new weapon against the invasive potato vine.] ''Miami Herald'' September 21, 2012. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005195735/http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/21/3014684/in-south-florida-a-tiny-new-weapon.html |date=October 5, 2012 }}</ref>

==Toxicity==
Uncultivated forms, such as those found growing wild in Florida, can be poisonous. These varieties contain the [[steroid]] [[diosgenin]], which is a principal material used in the manufacture of a number of [[Chemical synthesis|synthetic]] [[steroid hormones|steroidal]] [[hormone]]s, such as those used in [[hormonal contraception]].<ref name=NTBG>{{cite web |title=Meet the plants: ''Dioscorea bulbifera'' |publisher=[[National Tropical Botanical Garden]] |url=http://www.ntbg.org/plants/plant_details.php?plantid=4171 |access-date=2007-11-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116175549/http://www.ntbg.org/plants/plant_details.php?plantid=4171 |archive-date=2016-01-16}}</ref> There have been claims<ref>{{cite web|title=Pest Plants, Air Potato: ''Dioscorea bulbifera'' |date=Jan 2010 |work=WalterReeves.com |url=http://www.walterreeves.com/landscaping/article.phtml?cat=10&id=33 |access-date=2010-01-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061112093511/http://www.walterreeves.com/landscaping/article.phtml?cat=10&id=33 |archive-date=2006-11-12 }}</ref> that even the wild forms are rendered edible after drying and boiling, leading to confusion over actual [[toxicity]].

==Uses==
Some varieties produce edible tubers and are [[plant cultivation|cultivated]] as a food [[crop]], especially in [[West Africa]]. The tubers of edible varieties 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 potato]]es.

Air potato has been used as a [[home remedy|folk remedy]] to treat [[conjunctivitis]], [[diarrhoea]], and [[dysentery]], among other ailments.<ref>{{cite book |last=Duke |first=J. A. |author2=Judith L. DuCellier |title=Handbook of Alternative Cash Crops |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-tg7R4hU8hkC |year=1993 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-0-8493-3620-1}}</ref>

''D. bulbifera'' is highly important to the [[Tiwi people]] of Australia, who use it in an important ceremony called ''kulama''. During the ceremony, the tubers are ritually cooked, and eaten on the third day.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Prance |editor1-first=Ghillean |editor2-last=Nesbitt |editor2-first=Mark |last1=Pieroni |first1=Andrea |author-link=Andrea Pieroni (ethnobotanist) |date=2005 |title=The Cultural History of Plants |publisher=Routledge |page=36 |isbn=0415927463}}</ref>

It is known as the '''up-yam''' in [[Nigerian Pidgin English]], since the plant is cultivated more for its bulbils than for its tubers.<ref name="AfricanPast">{{Cite book|title=Archaeology, language, and the African past|last=Blench|first=Roger|publisher=Altamira Press|year=2006|isbn=9780759104655}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Domesticated plants and animals of Austronesia]]
*[[Yam production in Nigeria]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Van Wyk, Ben-Erik (2005). ''Food Plants of the World''. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, Inc. {{ISBN|0-88192-743-0}}
* [http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/node/133 ''Dioscorea bulbifera''.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120124185502/http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/node/133 |date=2012-01-24 }} University of Florida.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{WestAfricanPlants|Dioscorea bulbifera}}
* [https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/terrestrial/plants/air-potato Species Profile - Air Potato (''Dioscorea bulbifera'')], National Invasive Species Information Center, [[United States National Agricultural Library]]. Lists general information and resources for Air Potato.

{{Taxonbar|from=Q311239}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dioscorea bulbifera}}
[[Category:Dioscorea|bulbifera]]
[[Category:Flora of Africa]]
[[Category:Flora of tropical Asia]]
[[Category:Flora of China]]
[[Category:Flora of Eastern Asia]]
[[Category:Flora of Australia]]
[[Category:Perennial vegetables]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1753]]
[[Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
[[Category:Yams (vegetable)]]
[[Category:Austronesian agriculture]]

Dioscorea bulbifera - Revision history

Mvjceng at 18:56, 21 February 2026