Dioscorea polygonoides
Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.
Dioscoreaceae
Dioscorea altissima Sieber ex C.Presl
Dioscorea caracasana Kunth
Dioscorea kegeliana Griseb.
Dioscorea lutea G.Mey.
Dioscorea martinicensis Spreng.
Dioscorea multiflora C.Presl
Dioscorea piperifolia Griseb.
Dioscorea piperifolia Klotzsch ex Kunth
Dioscorea sieberi Kunth
Common Name: Bitter Jessie
General Information
Bitter Jessie is a perennial climbing plant producing slender, twining stems from a large tuberous rootstock[
315- Title
- Flora of Barro Colorado Island
- Publication
-
- Author
- Croat. Thomas B.
- Website
- http://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/bioinformatics/croat/home
- Publisher
- Stanford University Press
- Year
- 1978
- ISBN
- 0-8047-0950-5
- Description
- A very good flora of an area in Panama. Written some years ago, so some of the names have been changed. The book is out of print, but the whole flora is now available on the web.
]. These stems scramble over the ground, or twine into the surrounding vegetation[
]. A vigorous plant, often climbing to the tops of trees[
426- Title
- Flowering Plants of Jamaica
- Publication
-
- Author
- Adams. C.D.
- Publisher
- University of the West Indies; Jamaica.
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A terse treatment of the flowering plants of Jamaica, with a botanical description of each plant, notes on habitat etc.
].
The plant is sometimes gathered from the wild for its edible root, which is consumed locally and made into a coffee.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
315- Title
- Flora of Barro Colorado Island
- Publication
-
- Author
- Croat. Thomas B.
- Website
- http://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/bioinformatics/croat/home
- Publisher
- Stanford University Press
- Year
- 1978
- ISBN
- 0-8047-0950-5
- Description
- A very good flora of an area in Panama. Written some years ago, so some of the names have been changed. The book is out of print, but the whole flora is now available on the web.
,
426- Title
- Flowering Plants of Jamaica
- Publication
-
- Author
- Adams. C.D.
- Publisher
- University of the West Indies; Jamaica.
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A terse treatment of the flowering plants of Jamaica, with a botanical description of each plant, notes on habitat etc.
Range
S. America - Argentina and Brazil, north to the Caribbean and through Central America to Mexico.
Habitat
Rain forests and at the margins of clearings[
315- Title
- Flora of Barro Colorado Island
- Publication
-
- Author
- Croat. Thomas B.
- Website
- http://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/bioinformatics/croat/home
- Publisher
- Stanford University Press
- Year
- 1978
- ISBN
- 0-8047-0950-5
- Description
- A very good flora of an area in Panama. Written some years ago, so some of the names have been changed. The book is out of print, but the whole flora is now available on the web.
]. Woodland margins, damp open thickets and shaded gullies on limestone soils at elevations of 150 - 900 metres in Jamaica[
426- Title
- Flowering Plants of Jamaica
- Publication
-
- Author
- Adams. C.D.
- Publisher
- University of the West Indies; Jamaica.
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A terse treatment of the flowering plants of Jamaica, with a botanical description of each plant, notes on habitat etc.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Habit | Perennial Climber |
| Height | 15.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
A plant of the moist tropical lowlands.
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if seed is required.
Edible Uses
Root - cooked[
46- Title
- Dictionary of Economic Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Uphof. J. C. Th.
- Publisher
- Weinheim
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
].
The roasted root is ground into a powder and used as a coffee substitute[
46- Title
- Dictionary of Economic Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Uphof. J. C. Th.
- Publisher
- Weinheim
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
].
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed -
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
