✿Dioscoreaceae · Dioscorea
Kanta Alu / Fiji Yam
Dioscorea pentaphylla
Also known as Kawan Yam
ClimberoutdoorMedicinal
- Habit
- Climber
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & more
- Flowering
- August-December
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
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Palmately compound (leaflets radiate from one point)recorded
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kanta Alu itself; the rest are typical of the Dioscoreaceae family.
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
About Kanta Alu
Fiji yam (Dioscorea pentaphylla) belongs to the Dioscoreaceae family, where it grows as a climber. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and 11 other states. It grows in degraded deciduous forests and waste places, also in sacred groves. Flowering and fruiting run from August to December.
Botanical family
Dioscoreaceae
Yam Family
Kanta Alu belongs to the Dioscoreaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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