Dioscorea cochleariapiculata
De Wild.
Dioscoreaceae
Dioscorea stolzii R.Knuth
Common Name:
General Information
Dioscorea cochleariapiculata is a herbaceous perennial climbing plant producing prickly stems up to 15 metres long from a tuberous rootstock. The stems scramble over the ground or twine into nearby plants for support, often trailing down from the tops of trees[
610- Title
- Flora of Tropical East Africa
- Publication
-
- Author
- Beentje H.J.
- Website
- http://plants.jstor.org/search?st=396814
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Available on-line, a modern flora of East Africa.
]. The tubers, which are replaced annually, are usually 4 - 5 in number, depressed, globose, clustered, up to 10cm across[
610- Title
- Flora of Tropical East Africa
- Publication
-
- Author
- Beentje H.J.
- Website
- http://plants.jstor.org/search?st=396814
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Available on-line, a modern flora of East Africa.
].
The tubers are sometimes gathered from the wild (most commonly only in times of food shortage) for local consumption.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
Range
Tropical Africa - Ethiopia, Burundi, eastern DR Congo, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe.
Habitat
Found at elevations from 750 - 1,900 metres[
610- Title
- Flora of Tropical East Africa
- Publication
-
- Author
- Beentje H.J.
- Website
- http://plants.jstor.org/search?st=396814
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Available on-line, a modern flora of East Africa.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Habit | Perennial Climber |
| Height | 10.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Prefers well-drained, sandy soils in the wild[
610- Title
- Flora of Tropical East Africa
- Publication
-
- Author
- Beentje H.J.
- Website
- http://plants.jstor.org/search?st=396814
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Available on-line, a modern flora of East Africa.
].
Edible Uses
Tubers - cooked[
398- Title
- Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania
- Publication
-
- Author
- Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B.
- Publisher
- Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 9966-896-60-0
- Description
- A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
]. Eaten after preparation in times of food shortage[
610- Title
- Flora of Tropical East Africa
- Publication
-
- Author
- Beentje H.J.
- Website
- http://plants.jstor.org/search?st=396814
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Available on-line, a modern flora of East Africa.
].
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed -
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
