air-potato
(Dioscorea bulbifera L.)

Overview

Appearance

Dioscorea bulbifera is an herbaceous, twining vine that can grow to lengths exceeding 60 ft. (18 m). It invades open areas in the sub-tropical southeastern United States.

Foliage

The leaves are alternate, 8 in. (20.3 cm) long, broadly-heart shaped with prominent veins that resemble greenbrier leaves. The rounded stems are thin and wiry.

Flowers

The vine rarely flowers.

Fruit

The chief means of reproduction are aerial, potato-like tubers (bulbils) located at the leaf axils.

Ecological Threat

Dioscorea bulbifera can form dense masses of vines that cover and kill native vegetation including trees within a variety of habitats such as forest edges, hammocks, and many disturbed areas. It was introduced from Africa for food and medicinal purposes in the early 1900s. It is a common and widespread food crop throughout most tropical regions of the world.

Resources

• Invasive Species Management Plans for Florida - University of Florida - Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants
• A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests - USDA Forest Service
• Florida National Forests Invasive Plant Series - USDA Forest Service
• Element Stewardship Abstract - The Nature Conservancy

Selected Images

Maps

Invasive Listing Sources

• Alabama Invasive Plant Council
• Alabama Noxious Weeds - Class A Noxious Weed
• Alachua County Cogongrass Initiative
• Apalachicola Invasive Working Group
• Florida Invasive Plant Council - Plant List - Category I
• Florida Noxious Weeds
• Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council - Category 3
• John Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Survey of TNC Preserves, 1995.
• New Invaders of the Southeast
• Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
• Southwest Florida Cooperative Invasive Species Mgmt. Area
• WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States

References