About Dioscorea pentaphylla L.
Dioscorea pentaphylla, commonly called fiveleaf yam, is a flowering plant species belonging to the yam family. It is native to southern and eastern Asia, including locations such as China, India, Indochina, Indonesia, and the Philippines, as well as Sri Lanka, New Guinea, and northern Australia. This species is widely cultivated as a food crop, and has become naturalized in Cuba and several Pacific island chains, including Hawaii. Dioscorea pentaphylla is a prickly vine that twines counterclockwise around supports such as other plants and inanimate objects. It can grow up to 10 meters in length. Its leaves are arranged alternately, and are compound, divided into 3 to 5 leaflets that each reach up to 10 centimeters long. The plant produces horseshoe-shaped bulbils around one centimeter long, and new individual plants can sprout from these bulbils. Its flowers grow in spikes. The vine develops from a single tuber; individual tubers can weigh up to 3 pounds, and may grow over one meter below the ground. The tubers of Dioscorea pentaphylla can be cooked and eaten.
