Dioscorea transversa
| Pencil yam | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| Order: | Dioscoreales |
| Family: | Dioscoreaceae |
| Genus: | Dioscorea |
| Species: | D. transversa |
| Binomial name | |
| Dioscorea transversa R.Br. | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Dioscorea punctata R.Br. | |
Dioscorea transversa, Pencil yam, is a vine of eastern and northern Australia.[1][2]
The leaves are heart-shaped, shiny, with 5-7 prominent veins. The seed pods are rounded, green or pink before drying to a straw brown papery texture. The edible tubers are typically slender and long. There are two forms: an eastern rainforest and wet sclerophyll form which doesn't have bulbils, and a northern form which occurs in open forests and has small bulbils and large inground tubers.[3]
Uses
The tubers are a staple food of Australian Aboriginals and are eaten after cooking, usually in ground ovens.[3]
References
- 1 2 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ↑ Govaerts, R., Wilkin, P. & Saunders, R.M.K. (2007). World Checklist of Dioscoreales. Yams and their allies: 1-65. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- 1 2 Low, Tim (1988). Wild Food Plants of Australia. North Ryde, N.S.W.: Angus & Robertson. ISBN 0-207-16930-6.
External links
- Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney, Dioscorea transversa
- Plantnet New South Wales Flora Online, Dioscorea transversa R.Br.
- Atlas of Living Australia, Dioscorea transversa R.Br. Common Yam Vine
- Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants, Dioscorea transversa
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