Zimikand / Potato Yam
Dioscorea bulbifera
Also known as Air Potato, Bulb Bearing Yam
- Habit
- Climber
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala & more
- Flowering
- July-March
How to identify Zimikand
Identify Zimikand by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a climber habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Aerial bulbils (small tubers) growing along the vine (air potato).
- Confirm leaf arrangement: Alternate.
- Confirm leaf shape: Cordate (heart-shaped).
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- Confirm fruit type: Capsule.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: July-March.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Dioscorea bulbifera
- Genus
- Dioscorea
- Family
- Dioscoreaceae
- Habit
- Climber
- Distribution
- Old World tropics
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Telangana, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu
- Flowering & fruiting
- July-March
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf arrangement
- AlternaterecordedOne leaf per node, arranged in a spiral or zigzag up the stem.“Dioscorea bulbifera is a perennial vine with broad, alternate leaves, and two types of storage organs.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf shape
- Cordate (heart-shaped)recorded
Characters marked “recorded” are for Zimikand itself; the rest are typical of the Dioscoreaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded“The vine produces small white flowers;” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fruit type
- CapsulerecordedA dry fruit from a fused ovary that splits open at maturity to release seeds.“The fruits are capsules.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Characters marked “recorded” are for Zimikand itself; the rest are typical of the Dioscoreaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- ज़िमीकंद Zimikand, hoei-oepas
- Nepali
- भ्याकुर Bhyaakur, गिठ्ठा Giththaa, कुकुर तरुल Kukur Tarul, गिठ्ठा
- Bengali
- Kukuralu, কাঠ আলু, বন মাছআলু
- Tamil
- பண்ணுக்கிழங்கு
- Malayalam
- അടതാപ്പ്, Dioscorea bulbifera
- Marathi
- कडु करंडा Kadu-karanda, कडू करांदा, डुकरकंद
- Assamese
- কাঠ আলু
About Zimikand
Potato yam (Dioscorea bulbifera) belongs to the Dioscoreaceae family, where it grows as a climber. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and 20 other states. Flowering and fruiting run from July to March.
Uses
Locally it is grown for parts that are eaten and long used in traditional medicine. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice. Parts of this plant are reported as poisonous — treat it as unsafe to eat and wash your hands after handling.
Dioscoreaceae
Yam Family
Zimikand belongs to the Dioscoreaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Dioscoreaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Zimikand or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides