Common Name:

General Information

Dioscorea composita is a herbaceous perennial climbing plant producing annual stems from a tuberous rootstock. The stems scramble over the ground or twine into nearby plants for support[].
The tubers have medicinal properties and are sometimes gathered from the wild for local use. The plant is sometimes cultivated as a crop[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

C. America - Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, Mexico.

Habitat

Not known

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial Climber
Height	0.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist tropics and subtropics. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 25 - 30°c, but can tolerate 15 - 38°c[]. It can be killed by temperatures of 9°c or lower[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,200 - 1,500mm, but tolerates 1,000 - 2,100mm[].
Prefers a position in full sun, tolerating light shade[]. Succeeds in a light to medium soil of moderate fertility[]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 6.5, tolerating 5.8 - 7.3[].
Tubers take 4 - 5 years to reach their maximum size[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The root is sometimes grown for medicinal purposes[]. This is almost certainly for the diosgenin found in the roots, which is a precursor of certain female hormones and is extracted for pharmaceutical use[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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