Dioscorea sylvatica Eckl.

forest elephant’s foot, forest tortoise plant, elephant’s foot yam, wild yam

Afr

olifantsvoet, skilpadknol

isiZulu

ufudu, ingwevu, intane, lwehlathi

IsiXhosa

nakaa, usikolipati

Description

Family:

Dioscoreaceae

Order:

Dioscoreales

Description

Large, deciduous, perennial climber with twining stems and a massive, underground, corky tuber. Leaves simple, alternate, heart-shaped, 7 – 20 cm long. Male and female flowers on separate plants; small, yellowish-green, in spikes up to 14 cm (Nov – Apr). Fruits are yellow-green, 3-winged capsules with reddish brown edges, splitting to release winged seeds. Tuber protected by thick corky layer.

Plant Details

Height

Climbs up to 3 m or more

Thorns

Absent

Soil

Well-drained, humus-rich, sandy or loamy

Slow (tuber develops over years)

Growth Rate

Climbs up to 3 m or more

Size

Long-lived (decades)

Lifespan

Flower Colour

Flowering Season

, ,

Horticultural Zones

Not available

pH

Well-drained, humus-rich, sandy or loamy

Soil

Light shade for stems, full shade for tuber

Aspect

Low (dies back in winter)

Frost Tolerance

High (tuber survives dry season)

Drought Resistance

Link to PlantzAfrica.co.za

Distribution

, ,

Companion Plants

Other forest margin climbers (e.g., Clematis, Senecio tamoides)

Caterpillars

Not available

Associations

Descriptions

Insects:Not available.
Wildlife:Tuber protected from grazing by corky layer; habitat for soil organisms.
Soil:Not a nitrogen fixer.
Ecosystem Services:Soil stabilization, food source for traditional use.

Flowers and fruits

Small, yellowish-green flowers (Nov – Apr) are insect-pollinated; winged seeds wind-dispersed.

Birds

Not available

By Seeds:

Rub seeds to remove wing, sow in well-drained mix; germinates in 10 days.

By Cuttings:

Not available

Traditional Uses

Tuber used for diosgenin (steroid precursor), traditional medicine for contraception, pain, and as a food in famine (requires careful preparation due to toxicity).

Plant Details

Height

Description

Thorns

Description

Leaves

Description

Size

Growth Form

Size

Size

Size

Lifespan

Size

Flower Colour

Size

Flowering Season

Size

Horticultural Zones

Size

pH

Size

Soil

Size

Aspect

Size

Frost Tolerance

Size

Drought Resistance

Description

DESCRIPTION

Height

DESCRIPTION

Leaves

DESCRIPTION

Thorns

DESCRIPTION

BSS

Ecoscore

Host plant Nectar Grazing

Link to PlantzAfrica.co.za

View

Distribution

Companion Plants

Description

Caterpillars

Associations

Leaves

Leaves

Flowers and fruits

Leaves

Birds

Leaves

Mammals

Leaves

By Seeds:

Leaves

By Cuttings:

Leaves

Traditional Uses

traditional uses