Fiji yam
Dioscorea pentaphylla
Also known as Kawan yam
About Fiji yam
Dioscorea pentaphylla is a species of flowering plant in the yam family known by the common name fiveleaf yam. It is native to southern and eastern Asia (China, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Philippines, etc.) as well as New Guinea, Sri Lanka and northern Australia. It is widely cultivated as a food crop and naturalized in Cuba and on several island chains in the Pacific (including Hawaii). Dioscorea pentaphylla is a prickly vine that twines counterclockwise around objects and other plants. It may reach 10 meters in length. The alternately arranged leaves are compound, divided into 3 to 5 leaflets each up to 10 centimeters long. The plant produces horseshoe-shaped bulbils about a centimeter long. New plants can sprout from the bulbils.
Description adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Dioscorea pentaphylla
- Genus
- Dioscorea
- Family
- DIOSCOREACEAE
- Habit
- Climber
- Habitat
- Degraded deciduous forests and waste places, also in sacred groves
- Distribution
- India, Myanmar, Thailand, Indo-China, China, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Australia, Papua New Guinea
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Local Names
- Hindi
- कांटा आलू Kanta Alu, फल आलू Phal Alu
- Nepali
- रानी भ्याकुर Raanee Bhyaakur, मिठे तरुल Mithe Tarul, जगल्टे भ्याकुर Jagalte Bhyakur
- Bengali
- কাঁটা আলু Kanta Alu, কাঁটা আলু
- Tamil
- காட்டுவள்ளி Kattu-Valli, நூறை Nurai, வள்ளி (கொடி)
- Telugu
- అడవి గినుసు తీగ Adavi Ginusu Tiga, అడవి గుమ్మడి తీగ Adavi Gummadi Tiga, చెంచు గడ్డ Chenchu Gadda
- Kannada
- ಕಾಡು ಗುಂಬಳ Kaadu Gumbala
- Malayalam
- കാട്ടുകിഴങ്ങ് Kattukizhangu, മരക്കിഴങ്ങ് Marakkizhangu, നല്ലനൂറ Nallanura
- Marathi
- गाबोळी Gaaboli, मुंडावळया Mundavalya, शॆंडवेल Shendvel
Dioscoreaceae
Yam Family
Fiji yam belongs to the Dioscoreaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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