Dioscorea elephantipes: Difference between revisions
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==Description== |
==Description== |
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It is a [[deciduous]] [[vine|climber]]. It takes the name "elephant's foot" from the appearance of its large, partially buried, [[tuber]]ous stem, which grows very slowly but often reaches a considerable size, often more than {{convert|3|m|0|abbr=on}} in circumference with a height of nearly {{convert|1|m|0|abbr=on}} above ground. It is rich in [[starch]], whence the name [[Khoikhoi|Hottentot]] bread, and is covered on the outside with thick, hard, corky plates. It requires significant processing before being eaten to [http://www.kew.org/science-conservation/plants-fungi/dioscorea-elephantipes-elephants-foot-yam remove toxic compounds]. Primarily a winter grower, it develops slender, [[leaf]]y, climbing shoots with dark-spotted, greenish-yellow flowers in winter (May or June in habitat)<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantcd/dioscoreleph.htm|title = Dioscorea elephantipes (L'Her.) Engl.|date = April 2005|accessdate = |website = |publisher = |last = |first = }}</ref> The flowers are [[dioecy|dioecious]], with male or female flowers occurring on separate plants. |
It is a [[deciduous]] [[vine|climber]]. It takes the name "elephant's foot" from the appearance of its large, partially buried, [[tuber]]ous stem, which grows very slowly but often reaches a considerable size, often more than {{convert|3|m|0|abbr=on}} in circumference with a height of nearly {{convert|1|m|0|abbr=on}} above ground. It is rich in [[starch]], whence the name [[Khoikhoi|Hottentot]] bread, and is covered on the outside with thick, hard, corky plates. It requires significant processing before being eaten to [http://www.kew.org/science-conservation/plants-fungi/dioscorea-elephantipes-elephants-foot-yam remove toxic compounds]. |
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Primarily a winter grower, it develops slender, [[leaf]]y, climbing shoots with dark-spotted, greenish-yellow flowers in winter (May or June in habitat)<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantcd/dioscoreleph.htm|title = Dioscorea elephantipes (L'Her.) Engl.|date = April 2005|accessdate = |website = |publisher = |last = |first = }}</ref> The flowers are [[dioecy|dioecious]], with male or female flowers occurring on separate plants. |
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==Distribution== |
==Distribution== |
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Its natural habitat is the arid inland regions of the Cape, stretching from the centre of the Northern Cape, south to the Cederberg area, and eastwards as far as Grahamstown.<ref>http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantcd/dioscoreleph.htm</ref> |
Its natural habitat is the arid inland regions of the Cape, stretching from the centre of the Northern Cape, south to the Cederberg area, and eastwards as far as Grahamstown.<ref>http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantcd/dioscoreleph.htm</ref><ref>http://redlist.sanbi.org/species.php?species=1777-12</ref> |
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==Cultivation== |
==Cultivation== |
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Revision as of 16:23, 2 February 2016
| Dioscorea elephantipes | |
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| Species: | D. elephantipes
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| Binomial name | |
| Dioscorea elephantipes | |
Dioscorea elephantipes (elephant's foot or Hottentot bread; syn. Testudinaria elephantipes), is a species of flowering plant in the genus Dioscorea of the family Dioscoreaceae, native to south west South Africa, but also rediscovered in Northern Cape Province by an expedition collecting seeds for the Millennium Seed Bank Project.
Description
It is a deciduous climber. It takes the name "elephant's foot" from the appearance of its large, partially buried, tuberous stem, which grows very slowly but often reaches a considerable size, often more than 3 m (10 ft) in circumference with a height of nearly 1 m (3 ft 3 in) above ground. It is rich in starch, whence the name Hottentot bread, and is covered on the outside with thick, hard, corky plates. It requires significant processing before being eaten to remove toxic compounds.
Primarily a winter grower, it develops slender, leafy, climbing shoots with dark-spotted, greenish-yellow flowers in winter (May or June in habitat)[1] The flowers are dioecious, with male or female flowers occurring on separate plants.
Distribution
Its natural habitat is the arid inland regions of the Cape, stretching from the centre of the Northern Cape, south to the Cederberg area, and eastwards as far as Grahamstown.[2][3]
Cultivation
In cultivation in temperate areas, D. elephantipes can tolerate temperatures to -4 °C in habitat. It was granted the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit in 2002.
Gallery
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The large tuberous stem of Dioscorea elephantipes at the botanical garden of Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini, Genova Pegli. -
Leaves -
Flowers
References
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
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