dioscorea villosa - wild yam
The Wild Yam (Dioscorea villosa) is a perennial, climbing vine with a smooth, twining stem that extends up to 10 feet in length. It climbs upward from right to left. The leaves are alternate on the upper stem and whorled on the lower stem and are from 3 to 4 inches long. They are heart shaped and on petioles that are up to 3 inches long.
The flowers are 6 small, whitish tepals that are fairly inconspicuous but form a showy cluster that are sought out for floral arrangements. The plant is dioecious, meaning that there are male and female flowers on the same plant. The flowers are borne in loose clusters from the leaf axils. The male flowers have up to 4 flowers per node and the female spikes have 1 flower per node. The flowers are present from May to August.
The Wild Yam is found in moist woods and thickets throughout the eastern U.S. They are considered to be common.
The slim, tuberous roots are edible but must be cooked before eating, otherwise the raw root may cause vomiting. The roots were traditionally used by Native Americans in a tea to relieve labor pains and by physicians to treat gastrointestinal irritation, asthma, morning sickness, and arthritis. Wild Yam also contains a chemical, called diosgenin, that is used to manufacture steroid drugs. Most of the steroid hormones used in medicine today were developed from the chemical compounds found in yams.
The flowers are 6 small, whitish tepals that are fairly inconspicuous but form a showy cluster that are sought out for floral arrangements. The plant is dioecious, meaning that there are male and female flowers on the same plant. The flowers are borne in loose clusters from the leaf axils. The male flowers have up to 4 flowers per node and the female spikes have 1 flower per node. The flowers are present from May to August.
The Wild Yam is found in moist woods and thickets throughout the eastern U.S. They are considered to be common.
The slim, tuberous roots are edible but must be cooked before eating, otherwise the raw root may cause vomiting. The roots were traditionally used by Native Americans in a tea to relieve labor pains and by physicians to treat gastrointestinal irritation, asthma, morning sickness, and arthritis. Wild Yam also contains a chemical, called diosgenin, that is used to manufacture steroid drugs. Most of the steroid hormones used in medicine today were developed from the chemical compounds found in yams.