Dioscorea bulbifera L.
Family: Dioscoreaceae
Taxonomy: Plantae > Tracheophyta > Liliopsida > Dioscoreales > Dioscoreaceae > Dioscorea > D. bulbifera
Common name [English]: Air potato, air yam, aerial yam, bitter yam, potato yam
Vernacular name [Malayalam]: പന്നികിഴങ്ങ്
Nativity: Africa, Asia and Northern Australia.
Habitat: Moist deciduous forests, also in the plains
Description: Vines with tuberous root stocks; Stem terete, twining to left. Leaves 9-25 x 8-23 cm, ovate-sub orbicular, base deeply cordate, apex acuminate to shortly caudate, membranous, glabrous, basally 9-11-ribbed; petiole to 20 cm long. Bulbils frequent in leaf axils and in inflorescence. Male flowers in slender, axillary panicled spikes, pendulous, to 18 cm long; bracteoles ovate, acute. Perianth light green; lobes 6, biseriate, c. 2.5 mm long, linear-oblong. Stamens 6 free. Female spikes 1-3 together; staminodes 3; ovary triquetrous, 3-locular, ovules 2-per locule; styles 3; stigma 2-fid, reflexed. Capsules 1.5-2.3 x 1-1.5 cm, oblong, 3-winged.
Flowering and Fruiting: September-October
Uses: Medicine in Ayurveda, Folk medicine, Sowa-Rigpa, Unani, Siddha, Traditional chinese medicine.
Cultivation: Cultivated, wlid
References
http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org
https://indiabiodiversity.org