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Useful Tropical Plants

Dioscorea cirrhosa

Lour.

Dioscoreaceae

+ Synonyms

Dioscorea angusta R.Knuth

Dioscorea bonnetii A.Chev.

Dioscorea camphorifolia Uline ex R.Knuth

Dioscorea intempestiva Prain & Burkill

Dioscorea matsudae Hayata

Dioscorea rhipogonoides Oliv.

Common Name: Dyeing Yam

Dioscorea cirrhosa
Line drawing of the leaves, flowers, seeds and root
Photograph by: Flora of China Illustrations vol. 24, fig. 335, 6-7
Creative Commons License
Dioscorea cirrhosa Dioscorea cirrhosa Dioscorea cirrhosa

General Information

Dioscorea cirrhosa is a dioecious, perennial plant producing annual, climbing stems about 10 metres long from a tuberous rhizome[
303
Title
World Agroforesty Centre
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Website
http://www.worldagroforestry.org/
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0
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Description
An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
]. These stems scramble over the ground, or twine into the surrounding vegetation[
418
Title
Ecocrop
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Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
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Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
]. The stems twine to the right[
303
Title
World Agroforesty Centre
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.worldagroforestry.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
].
Formerly traded internationally as an important source of tannins for use as a preservative and dye, nowadays it is only of local importance, but is still cultivated in S China, Taiwan and North Vietnam[
317
Title
Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References


Range

E. Asia - southern China, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam.

Habitat

Thickets and secondary forests, usually in the lowland, but in southern China up to elevations of 1,500 metres[
303
Title
World Agroforesty Centre
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.worldagroforestry.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
].

Properties

HabitPerennial Climber
Height10.00 m
Cultivation StatusCultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

The tuber is edible[
317
Title
Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The tubers contain 6 - 13% tannin[
317
Title
Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
]. This is used for preserving nets and leather as well as for colouring clothes made from ramie, silk and cotton a brown colour[
317
Title
Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
].
The tubers are harvested when about 3 years old, the harvesting taking place in the dry season when the red flesh has a high tannin content[
303
Title
World Agroforesty Centre
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.worldagroforestry.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
]. The tubers should be harvested with care to ensure that they are not broken or bruised. They should be protected against desiccation because they lose much of their colouring properties when desiccated[
303
Title
World Agroforesty Centre
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.worldagroforestry.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
]. For dyeing and tanning purposes, the tuber are peeled and the flesh is rasped[
303
Title
World Agroforesty Centre
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.worldagroforestry.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
]. About 3 litres of water is added to 1 kg of rasped flesh, and clothes or nets are dipped in the hot or cold solution remaining after filtering, and afterwards dried in the sun[
303
Title
World Agroforesty Centre
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.worldagroforestry.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
]. This handling is repeated several times, until the desired reddish-brown colour is attained[
303
Title
World Agroforesty Centre
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.worldagroforestry.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
]. The dye rapidly loses its activity, and best results are obtained with fresh solutions[
303
Title
World Agroforesty Centre
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.worldagroforestry.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
]. Mordants such as alum, aluminium acetate and bichromate are often added to the solution, but sometimes leaves of Psidium guajava L. and Piper betle L., or mud (in China) replace the mordant[
303
Title
World Agroforesty Centre
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.worldagroforestry.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
].

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Dioscorea%20cirrhosa>

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