Dioscorea polystachya
| Chinese yam cinnamon vine | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| Order: | Dioscoreales |
| Family: | Dioscoreaceae |
| Genus: | Dioscorea |
| Species: | D. polystachya |
| Binomial name | |
| Dioscorea polystachya Turcz. | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Dioscorea polystachya is a species of flowering plant in the yam family known by the common names Chinese yam[2] and cinnamon vine.[2] It is native to eastern Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Kuril Islands), and it is naturalized in the central and eastern United States.[1][3] It is also cultivated in Asia for the tubers, which are edible.[4][5] It has often been misidentified as Dioscorea opposita.
Taxonomy
The plant correctly called Dioscorea polystachya is often misidentified as Dioscorea opposita. Botanical works that point out the confusion may list, e.g., Dioscorea opposita auct. non Thunb. as a synonym of D. polystachya.[2] The plant correctly called D. opposita is now considered to be the same species as D. oppositifolia.[6]
Description
Dioscorea polystachya is a vine up to 5 meters long or longer. It twines clockwise. The leaves are up to 11 centimeters long and wide. They are lobed at the base and larger ones may have lobed edges. The arrangement is variable; they may be alternately or oppositely arranged or borne in whorls. In the leaf axils appear warty rounded bulbils under 2 centimeters long. New plants sprout from the bulbils or parts of them. The flowers are cinnamon-scented. The plant produces one or more spindle-shaped[4] or cylindrical[3] tubers. The largest may weigh 10 pounds and grow one meter underground.[3]
As a weed
Dioscorea polystachya was introduced to the United States in the 1800s when it was planted as an ornamental or food crop. It and other introduced yam species now grow wild there. It is troublesome in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where its range is "rapidly expanding".[3] It is most prevalent in moist habitat types. It is more tolerant of frost than other yams and can occur in temperate climates as far north as New York.[3][7]
Uses
The tubers of D. polystachya can be eaten raw. They are also used in traditional Chinese medicine.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, entry for Dioscorea polystachya
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "USDA GRIN Taxonomy". Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Gucker, Corey L. 2009. Dioscorea spp. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Dioscorea polystachya. Flora of North America.
- ↑ Flora of China Vol. 24 Page 292, 薯蓣 shu yu, Dioscorea polystachya Turczaninow, Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou. 10(7): 158. 1837
- ↑ "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, entry for Dioscorea oppositifolia". Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ↑ Biota of North America Program, 2013 county distribution map
External links
- Walck, J. L., et al. (2010). Understanding the germination of bulbils from an ecological perspective: a case study on Chinese yam (Dioscorea polystachya). Ann Bot 106 (6): 945-955.
- Plants for a Future. Dioscorea batatas
- Eat the Weeds and Other Things Too, Yam C, The Chinese
- Go Botany, New England Wild Flower Society, Dioscorea polystachya Turcz. Chinese yam
- Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, Chinese yam Dioscorea polystachya Turcz.