Dioscorea transversa (DIOSCOREACEAE) Native Yam

Plants to Plant

Heart-shaped leaves

Herb with annual twining stems 2-4 metres long; tuber often deep in the soil, cylindrical, widespread, chiefly in warmer rainforest and moist sclerophyll forest. Leaves ovate to broad-triangular, to 12 cm long, base cordate (heart shaped) or rarely hastate (with flaring pointed lobes at the base), petiole 1-9 cm long, usually swollen at the top end and twisted at the bottom end. The pod of Dioscorea transversa is an important food plant for hawk moths. The Black-and-White Skipper butterfly also feeds on this yam and has been slowly moving south from its original populations at Mackay munching on these plants. Entomologists suspect the move of this butterfly may be climate change induced. The Native Yam remains an important food source for Aboriginal people especially those living on country. In Bush Tucker, Tim Low says “The tuber is long, white and slender, can be eaten raw, and has a delightful potato taste”. He records watching two Aboriginal men at Yarrabah dig for half an hour to retrieve a whole tuber intact. It was then cleaned and boiled before eating. 

Photo: Robert Whyte

Seed collecting and propagation

Fruit is ripe from January to July. The fruit are 3-winged capsules that produce hanging clusters of seeds. Each fruit is approximately 15-20 mm long and 23-26 mm wide. The three wings are light green and papery, eventually turning whitish-brown in winter. Each fruit typically contains about six seeds, with a wing surrounding each seed. Seeds are 2-3 cm long. Seeds germinate readily. Can regrow from a tiny piece of root.
 

 

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