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Dioscorea polystachya

Common Name: Chinese yam

Family: Dioscoreaceae

Common Synonyms: Dioscorea oppositifolia

USDA Hardiness Zone: 5b - 11

Growth Habit: Vine

Origin: China

FISC Category: -

FDACS Listed Noxious Weed: No

Introduction Date: introduced in US 1800's, Florida introduction date unknown

IFAS Assessment:

  • North: HIGH INVASION RISK
  • Central: HIGH INVASION RISK
  • South: HIGH INVASION RISK
Dioscorea polystachya
Jack Ranney, University of Tennessee, Bugwood.org

Description

Creeping and climbing vine up to 5 m in height, climbing over trees and shrubs. Leaves alternate or opposite, acute with heart-shaped base, 4-8 cm long. Clustered flowers fragrant, small, yellow-white, bell-shaped in leaf axils. Aerial tubers (bulbils) 0.7-3.0 cm long covered with adventitious buds form in leaf axils in late summer.

Habitat

Rich soils along streams, creeks, and rivers, disturbed sites

Comments

Only vouchered from Alachua Co. Established in mid-Atlantic, KY, TN, etc. Climate may limit spread to FL.

Map of species distribution

Control Methods

  • Manual: Mechanical: No specific information for species, but could manage similar to D. alata and D. bulbifera.
  • Chemical: From info for D. bulbifera: Foliar (1-2% glyphosate [IFAS]), cut stems (10% triclopyr ester [IFAS] or undiluted triclopyr amine [UGA]).
  • Biological: NA

Control Notes

NA

References

Dave's Garden. 2013. PlantFiles: Chinese wild yam, cinnamon vine, Dioscorea oppositifolia. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/53822/. Accessed on December 9, 2013.

University of Georgia - Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health. 2013. BugwoodWiki: Chinese yam - Dioscorea oppositifolia. http://wiki.bugwood.org/Archive:SEEPPC/Chinese_Yam_-_Dioscorea_oppositifolia_L.. Accessed on December 9, 2013.

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