Dioscorea preussii
Pax
Dioscoreaceae
Dioscorea andongensis Rendle
Dioscorea chevalieri De Wild.
Dioscorea dawei De Wild.
Dioscorea hylophila Harms
Dioscorea longispicata De Wild.
Dioscorea malchairii De Wild.
Dioscorea pterocaulon De Wild. & T.Durand
Dioscorea thonneri De Wild. & T.Durand
Common Name:
General Information
Dioscorea preussii is a climbing plant with a perennial rootstock, producing vigorous, annual stems up to 30 metres long that twine left-handed around other plants for support[
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].
The roots are sometimes gathered from the wild in times of famine, a fibre is also obtained from the stems.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
Range
Tropical Africa - Senegal to Sudan, south to Angola, Zambia and Mozambique.
Habitat
Forests at elevations from 650 - 1,200 metres[
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Perennial Climber |
| Height | 15.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Not known
Edible Uses
Tuber - cooked[
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
]. The tubers are very caustic and are only used as a famine food, needing prolonged soaking and washing over a period of 15 days before being suitable to eat[
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
]. The root is up to 40cm long, but narrow[
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
A fibre obtained from the stem is used for various purposes[
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.
]. (refers to var hylophila).
Propagation
Seed -
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
