Baichandi / Asiatic Bitter Yam
Dioscorea hispida
Also known as Intoxicating Yam
- Habit
- Climber
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Karnataka & more
- Flowering
- June-January
How to identify Baichandi
Identify Baichandi 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: Toxic tuber requiring processing before eating.
- Confirm leaf shape: Trifoliate (three leaflets).
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: June-January.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Karnataka, Kerala and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Dioscoreaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Baichandi.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Dioscorea hispida
- Genus
- Dioscorea
- Family
- Dioscoreaceae
- Habit
- Climber
- Habitat
- Semi-Evergreen forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- Tropics of Asia
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Karnataka, Kerala, Nagaland, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh
- Flowering & fruiting
- June-January
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Trifoliate (three leaflets)recorded
Characters marked “recorded” are for Baichandi itself; the rest are typical of the Dioscoreaceae family.
Local Names
- Nepali
- भार्लाङ्ग Bhaarlaang, गिट्ठो Gittho
- Tamil
- Kavalakodi, Pei Perendai, Periperendai
- Malayalam
- Podava Kelengu, വെന്നിക്കിഴങ്ങ്
- Marathi
- Baichandi, Bhul Kand, Dukar Kand
About Baichandi
Asiatic Bitter Yam (Dioscorea hispida) is a climber in the Dioscoreaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Karnataka and 6 other states. It grows in semi-Evergreen forests. Flowering and fruiting run from June to January.
Dioscoreaceae
Yam Family
Baichandi belongs to the Dioscoreaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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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.
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