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Indian Wild Yam
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Indian Wild Yam
P Native Photo: Dinesh Valke
Common name: Indian Wild Yam • Assamese: পাণ পতিয়া বন আলু Paan Potiya Bon Aloo • Gujarati: ચાયડુ Chaydu • Hindi: जुगुर कंद Jugur Kanda • Kannada: ಬಳ್ಳಿಗೆಣಸು Balligenasu, ಕಾಡು ತೂನಗೆಣಸು Kaadu Toonagenasu • Kokborok: Ganga • Konkani: रान करांदो Ran Karamdo • Malayalam: കാട്ടുകിഴങ്ങ് Kaattukizhangu, നറുകിഴങ്ങ് Narukizhangu, വരക്കിഴങ്ങ് Varakkizhangu • Malvani: रान कनारो Ran Kanaro, रान करांदा Ran Karanda • Marathi: कडूकंद Kadukanda, रान करांदा Ran Karanda • Odia: ସୂତା ଆଳୁ Suta Aalu, ଟୁଙ୍ଗା Tunga • Tamil: காட்டு வள்ளி கிழங்கு Kaattu Valli Kizhangu • Telugu: కుమ్మర బద్దు Kummara Baddu, వెర్రి చాడ Verri Chaada • Tulu: ಕಾಟ್ಟು ತೂಣಕೆರೆಂಗ್ Kattu Toonakerengu, ನರೆ Nare Source: Names of Plants in India
Botanical name: Dioscorea wallichii    Family: Dioscoreaceae (Yam family)
Synonyms: Dioscorea wallichii var. christiei, Dioscorea wallichii var. vera
Indian Wild Yam is a climber with stem twining to the right, smooth or scarcely prickly towards the base. Leaves are up to 12 x 12 cm, round, bluntly tapering, widely heart-shaped at base; nerves 12 pairs from the base, hairless, intercostae parallel; leaf-stalk up to 14 cm long. Flowers are borne in slender spikes 7-10 cm long, 3-6 together at nodes on 30-40 cm long flower-cluster-stalk; bracts and bracteoles ovate, tapering. Male tepals are 1 x 1 mm, ovate, pointed; stamens 6. Capsules (immature) are not reflexed, drying blackish, hairless, base truncate, tip notched toflat; wings 1.7-2.2 cm wide. Tubers are palmately branched, cylindric. Round capsules contain flat, brown seeds with a thin, marginal wing. The tubers can be eaten after boiling and washing. Indian Wild Yam is found in Western Ghats, East Himalaya, China and SE Asia.
Identification credit: Dinesh Valke Photographed in Kolshet, Maharashtra.
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