Dioscorea transversa
R. Br.
Long yam, Rainforest long yam, Pencil yam
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(c) Martin Bennett, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Martin Bennett
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(c) Tim, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Summary
Source: WikipediaDioscorea transversa, the pencil yam, is a vine of eastern and northern Australia. The leaves are heart-shaped, shiny, with 5-7 prominent veins. The seed pods are rounded, green or pink before drying to a straw brown papery texture. The edible tubers are typically slender and long. There are two forms: an eastern rainforest and wet sclerophyll form which doesn't have bulbils, and a northern form which occurs in open forests and has small bulbils and large inground tubers.
Description
A yam. A twining climbing plant. It has a large tuber underground from which it re-grows each year. The tuber can be 50 cm long and 5 cm wide. It has scattered hairs. The leaves are alternate and heart-shaped. There are small poorly developed lobes at the base of the leaf. The leaves are 5-10 cm long by 3-6 cm wide. The leaves have prominent veins. The male flowers occur in clusters in the axils of leaves and the female flowers are single in the clusters of leaves. The flowers are pale green and have a strong scent. The fruit is a 3 winged capsule. It is 2.5 cm wide and 1.5 cm long. They are light brown. The seeds are 3 and round. They are 1.5 cm across. It can have aerial bulbils.
Edible Uses
The tubers were a staple food of Australian Aboriginals and are eaten after cooking, usually in ground ovens. The 1889 book 'The Useful Native Plants of Australia records that common names included "long yam", Indigenous Australians from Central Queensland referred to it as "kowar" and that "the small young tubers are eaten by the aborigines without any preparation."
Traditional Uses
The yam tuber is cooked and eaten. They need to be leached in running water for several hours before cooking. The aerial bulbils along the vine are also used.
Medicinal Uses
The tubers are used for medicinal purposes by the native Aborigines.
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It grows naturally in monsoonal vine forests. It needs rich, moist soils and a protected, sunny position. It is damaged by drought or frost. It grows from sea level to 1,000 m above sea level.
Where It Grows
Australia*, New Caledonia, Pacific, Torres Strait,
Cultivation
Plants can be grown from seed or by dividing the yam.
Propagation
Seed - germinates readily.
Production
It grows vigorously in the wet season.
Other Information
It is a popular yam.
Notes
There are about 650 species of Dioscorea.
Nutrition
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuber | 68.3 | 404 | 97 | 2.6 | — | 107 | 5.2 | 0.4 |
Synonyms
Also Known As
Gulaka, Kayawal, Mun-banda, Muranga, Murani, Murrumurru, Wungmarratj
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- Cooper, W. and Cooper, W., 2004, Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Nokomis Editions, Victoria, Australia. p 152
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