Dioscorea hispida
Dioscorea hispida Dennst. is a perennial climbing vine in the yam family Dioscoreaceae, commonly known as the Asiatic bitter yam or intoxicating yam, characterized by its tuberous roots, left-twining prickly stems up to several meters long, and alternate trifoliate leaves with obovate leaflets up to 17 cm long.[1][2] The plant produces small unisexual flowers in axillary spikes or panicles—male flowers in dense clusters with six stamens, and female flowers leading to winged capsules containing seeds—and its subglobose tubers, up to 38 cm in diameter, are covered in fibrous roots.[2][3] Native to tropical and subtropical regions from the Himalayas and India through Southeast Asia (including Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Papua New Guinea) to Taiwan and northern Australia, D. hispida thrives in wet tropical biomes, often in shady forest edges, thickets, and moderate-temperature areas up to 1500 m elevation.[1][3][4] Flowering occurs from April to August, with fruiting following in August to September, depending on the region.[2][3] Despite its toxicity from alkaloids such as dioscorine, which impart narcotic and purgative effects, the tubers are a traditional famine food and staple in parts of the Philippines and India, consumed after detoxification processes like prolonged soaking, boiling, or washing to remove bitterness and poisons.[5][3][4] Ethnomedicinally, it is used to treat indigestion, wounds, diabetes, obesity, and skin ailments, with reported antimicrobial, antioxidant, and insecticidal properties from its bioactive compounds including saponins and phenolics.[3][4]Taxonomy
Classification
Dioscorea hispida is classified within the kingdom Plantae, phylum Tracheophyta, class Liliopsida, order Dioscoreales, family Dioscoreaceae, genus Dioscorea, and species D. hispida.[1] This placement reflects its position as a monocotyledonous angiosperm in the yam family, characterized by climbing habits and tuberous roots typical of the order Dioscoreales.[6] The binomial nomenclature is Dioscorea hispida Dennst., with the authority attributed to August Wilhelm Dennstedt, who formally described the species in 1818 based on specimens from the Malabar region.[7][1] Within the genus Dioscorea, which comprises approximately 600 species distributed across tropical and subtropical regions, D. hispida is distinguished as a member of the section Enantiophyllum, primarily due to its trifoliate leaf arrangement and other morphological traits aligning with this clade.[6]| Taxonomic Rank | Name |
|---|---|
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Liliopsida |
| Order | Dioscoreales |
| Family | Dioscoreaceae |
| Genus | Dioscorea |
| Species | D. hispida |