Is Dioscorea Bulbifera Edible?

Is Dioscorea Bulbifera Edible?

The perennial vine Dioscorea Bulbifera has wide, alternating leaves and two types of storage organs.

Bulbils grow in the leaf axils of the twining stems, while tubers form under the earth. These tubers have the shape of little, oblong potatoes. Some types are edible and are grown as a food crop, particularly in West Africa.

The edible tubers frequently have a harsh flavor that can be eliminated by cooking. They may then be cooked like regular yams, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.

Air potatoes may grow at a rate of around 8 inches each day and can potentially grow to be over 60 feet long. It generally grows to the summits of trees and has a proclivity to obliterate native flora.

Does Dioscorea Bulbifera Flowers?

Bulbils that grow on the plant evolve into new plants, and these bulbils serve as a dissemination route. Air potato aerial stems die back in the winter, but bulbils and subterranean tubers resprout.

The bulbils are the principal method of dissemination and reproduction. Because of their propensity to sprout at such a young age, the tiniest bulbils make controlling air potato a challenge.

The vine has little white blooms, which are rarely seen when it grows in Florida. The fruits are really capsules.

How Do You Use Dioscorea Bulbifera?

Piles, dysentery, syphilis, ulcers, cough, leprosy, diabetes, asthma, and cancer are all treated using Dioscorea Bulbifera bulbils. It is a raw material for contraception and one of the most used yam species, particularly in West Africa.

Unfortunately, this plant is on the verge of extinction due to increased harvesting for therapeutic purposes.

This study seeks to provide current knowledge regarding its photochemistry, therapeutic advantages, conservation status, and the best strategy to conserve this plant for future usage.

A literature search was conducted, and the results show that Dioscorea Bulbifera is on the verge of extinction despite its numerous therapeutic and ethnomedicinal advantages.

To preserve Dioscorea Bulbifera, it is necessary to educate local residents about its clinical and commercial relevance and applications.

Furthermore, for the plant’s long-term development, the government and non-governmental organizations must supply Dioscorea bulbils to farmers for planting and promote their reintroduction into the wild.

Furthermore, micropropagation of D. Bulbifera will be an ideal tool for re-establishing the plant in its natural environment, with the added benefit of enhancing plant development circumstances.

Is Dioscorea Bulbifera A Medicinal Plant?

Dioscorea Bulbifera bulbil is a medicinal plant used to cure various illnesses and conditions. Its extract has been utilized as an alternate contraceptive with the goal of lowering the world’s high population.

It is unclear how many kinds of this plant may exist in Uganda, but no documentation has been done, thus, it must be characterized.

Many studies have also shown that this plant is becoming extinct, which is another reason to seek ways to save it.

How Do You Care Dioscorea Bulbifera?

Dioscorea Bulbifera is a quick-growing vine with heart-shaped leaves and beautiful ribbed veining! Because it may produce potato-like aerial tubers, this plant is sometimes called “air potato.” It creates a fascinating yet low-maintenance houseplant for your indoor jungle!

Because it is a member of the real yam family Dioscoreaceae, Dioscorea Bulbifera is also known as air yam and potato yam. Its natural range includes Africa, Asia, and northern Australia.

Dioscorea Bulbifera vines may grow up to 10 meters in length in their native environment.

Dioscorea Bulbifera, like other succulents that enjoy light, thrives in as much light as possible.

A large south-facing window in your home will suffice! Temperatures below 9 degrees Celsius can kill it.

So, if you decide to cultivate this houseplant outside throughout the summer, bring it inside as soon as possible!

Dioscorea Bulbifera have the same water requirements as other succulents. They dislike damp feet and are prone to root rot, so let the soil almost dry out before watering it again to avoid overwatering.

A potting mix with good drainage will aid in the health of the plant’s root system. This plant demands a deep, well-drained sandy loam that is not prone to waterlogging in order to provide the highest yields. It loves a pH of 6 – 6.7 but may tolerate 5.3 – 8.

Dioscorea Bulbifera prefers warm temperatures, seldom dropping below 18 degrees Celsius.

Is Dioscorea Bulbifera Invasive?

Dioscorea Bulbifera bulbil is a medicinal plant used to cure various illnesses and conditions. Its extract has been utilized as an alternate contraceptive with the goal of lowering the world’s high population.

It is unclear how many kinds of this plant may exist in Uganda, but no documentation has been done, thus, it must be characterized.

A lot of studies have also shown that this plant is becoming extinct, which is another reason to seek ways to save it.

It is classified as a noxious weed in some areas, such as Florida, due to its fast-growing, large-leafed vine that spreads tenaciously and shadows out any vegetation growing beneath it.

The bulbils on the vines sprout and grow into new vines, wrapping around one another to produce a dense mat.

If the plant is cut to the ground, the tubers can survive for long periods of time and then sprout new shoots.

With its release in 2012, the leaf beetle Lilioceris cheni has been examined and used as a biological pest control agent for the plant.

What Is The Common Name Of Dioscorea Bulbifera?

Dioscorea Bulbifera (also known as the air potato, air yam, bitter yam, cheeky yam, potato yam, aerial yam, and parsnip yam) is a genuine yam species in the Dioscoreaceae family.

Its natural range includes Africa, Asia, and northern Australia. It is extensively grown and has become naturalized in many areas (Latin America, the West Indies, the Southeastern United States, and various oceanic islands).

It is also known as the up-yam in Nigerian Pidgin English because the plant is grown for its bulbils rather than its tubers.

How Fast Do Dioscorea Bulbifera Grow?

Air potatoes may grow quickly at a rate of around 8 inches each day. It generally grows to the summits of trees and has a proclivity to obliterate native flora.

New plants grow from bulbils (aerial tubers) that arise on the plant’s stem. The bulbils are the principal dissemination route since they fall to the ground.

Air potato aerial stems die back in the winter, but bulbils and subterranean tubers resprout.

UF/IFAS does not promote air potato. According to the FDACS Florida Noxious Weed Index, it is a restricted plant.

Because of its tendency to invade and replace native plant groups, the UF/IFAS Assessment classifies air potato as forbidden, and the FLEPPC classifies it as a Category l invasive species.

How Do You Propagate Dioscorea Bulbifera?

The bulbils are the principal method of dissemination and reproduction.

The bulbils on the vines sprout and grow into new vines, wrapping around one another to produce a dense mat.

These can be removed and replaced with new plants. If the plant is cut to the ground, the tubers can survive for long periods of time and then sprout new shoots. These may be split to produce new plants.

Because of their propensity to sprout at such a young age, the tiniest bulbils make controlling air potato challenging.

The vine has little white blooms, which are rarely seen when it grows in Florida. The fruits are really capsules.

Seeds are infrequently produced and are rarely utilized to propagate this species.

How Do You Control Dioscorea Bulbifera?

Prevention is a critical component of air potato control. Bulbils are the principal mode of propagation, and studies have shown that even minute bulbils may sprout and generate new plants.

Water is also a primary source of dispersal, thus, it is critical to initially reduce populations near bodies of water where bulbils may easily spread.

Cultural/Physical

Remove high-growing vines from trees. If feasible, remove bulbils and dig out subterranean tubers. Burning is not suggested since it causes significant harm to the local plants beneath the vines.

Mechanical

Mechanical control of air potato is restricted since controlling the vines often causes harm to the vegetation being climbed/smothered by the air potato.

Mowing may assist in decreasing air potato in the near term, however, mowers and other brush-cutting equipment can disseminate bulbils across long distances, either through infected equipment or by bulbil tossing during the mowing procedure.

Biological

Lilioceris cheni, an air potato leaf beetle, has proven to be an efficient biological control for air potatoes.

The air potato beetle was released in 2012 to help manage the air potato vine by damaging the plant’s leaves.

Those with air potato leaf beetle on their property will have better control if they remove and dispose of the “potatoes” left behind by the vine in the fall and winter (in landfill-bound rubbish bins). Beetles consume the leaves but not the bulbils.

What Is The Taste Of Dioscorea Bulbifera?

Bulbifera has a mild odour and bitter-salty flavour. It has a better nutritional value than other Dioscorea species, with higher amounts of calcium, magnesium, salt, and zinc, as well as higher levels of vitamins B1, B3, and C and higher protein content.

Despite D. Bulbifera extensive medicinal and nutritional potential, culinary preference is generally given to the flavour of other yam species.