Taxon:  Dioscorea dumetorum (Kunth) Pax



Summary
Genus:
Dioscorea
Family:
Dioscoreaceae
Nomen number:
14202
Place of publication:
H. G. A. Engler & K. A. E. Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 2(5):134.  1888
Verified:
02/24/2006 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
3 (0  active, 0  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Basionym
Helmia dumetorum Kunth

No images


Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
  2. Bhattacharjee, R. et al. 2011. Chapter 4. Dioscorea. In: Kole, C., ed., Wild crop relatives: genomic and breeding resources, industrial crops 71-96.
  3. Brunel, J. F. et al., eds. 1984. Flore analytique du Togo. Phanerogames
  4. Burkill, H. M. 1985. The useful plants of west tropical Africa. 1:661-662.
  5. Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques & South African National Biodiversity Institute. African flowering plants database (on-line resource).
  6. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
  7. Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
  8. Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1968. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2. 3:151.
  9. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
  10. Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
  11. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
  12. Wilkin, P. 2001. Dioscoreaceae of south-central Africa. Kew Bull. 56:385-386.
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
EnglishAfrican bitter yam  1Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
Englishbitter yam  1Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Englishcluster yam  1Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Frenchigname sauvage  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Portugueseinhame-bravo  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanishñame de tres hojas  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaKenya  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaTanzania  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaUganda  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaChad  Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1968. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2. 3:151.
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaEritrea  Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques & South African National Biodiversity Institute. African flowering plants database (on-line resource).
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaEthiopia  Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaAngola  Wilkin, P. 2001. Dioscoreaceae of south-central Africa. Kew Bull. 56:385-386.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaMalawi  Wilkin, P. 2001. Dioscoreaceae of south-central Africa. Kew Bull. 56:385-386.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaMozambique  Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques & South African National Biodiversity Institute. African flowering plants database (on-line resource).
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZambia  Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques & South African National Biodiversity Institute. African flowering plants database (on-line resource).
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZimbabwe  Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques & South African National Biodiversity Institute. African flowering plants database (on-line resource).
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaBenin  Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1968. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2. 3:151.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaBurkina Faso  Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques & South African National Biodiversity Institute. African flowering plants database (on-line resource).
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaCôte D'Ivoire  Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1968. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2. 3:151.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaGhana  Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1968. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2. 3:151.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaGuinea  Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1968. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2. 3:151.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaMali  Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1968. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2. 3:151.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaNigeria  Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1968. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2. 3:151.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaSenegal  Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1968. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2. 3:151.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaSierra Leone  Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1968. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2. 3:151.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaTogo  Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1968. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2. 3:151.
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaCameroon  Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1968. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2. 3:151.
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaDemocratic Republic of the Congo  Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques & South African National Biodiversity Institute. African flowering plants database (on-line resource).
Native
Africa
  • NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Chad
  • EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
  • WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte D'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
  • SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Reference(s)
  1. Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques & South African National Biodiversity Institute. African flowering plants database (on-line resource).
  2. Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
  3. Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1968. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2. 3:151.
  4. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
  5. Wilkin, P. 2001. Dioscoreaceae of south-central Africa. Kew Bull. 56:385-386.
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Human foodstarchas famine foodBhattacharjee, R. et al. 2011. Chapter 4. Dioscorea. In: Kole, C., ed., Wild crop relatives: genomic and breeding resources, industrial crops 71-96.
Human foodstarchas famine food consumed after washing and dryingWilkin, P. 2001. Dioscoreaceae of south-central Africa. Kew Bull. 56:385-386.
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=14202. Accessed 11 May 2026.