by David The Good
⏱︎
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How can you tell the difference between Dioscorea bulbifera and Dioscorea alata?
Let’s go wild yam hunting and find out!
You know, when your young son tells you that the songs in your videos are… kind of… getting dumber… it’s probably true.
“Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaam! Yam yam yam yam!”
I’m David The Good, gardening author, homesteading, survival gardener, nursery owner and plant geek. Let’s grow some food!
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14 responses to “Dioscorea alata vs. Dioscorea bulbifera”
Great video!! Headed out into the woods to see if i can find some on my own. As you know i planted some, but haven’t seen any bulbs on my plants.
Good luck!!!
I also planted some last year. I went to a survival group talk last year where you were the featured speaker(New Smyrna.. I think). There was a guy that brought a bag full of bubils and was giving them away. I got some and planted them. A couple of weeks ago one the plants that shot up my pine tree had a a bubil. For some reason I started getting the heebie jeebies about eating it…I guess I was afraid I had the wrong kind- the bad kind…. but finally after boiling the tar out of it I ate it. It tasted like a regular potato to me… although a bit over cooked. I am happy to report that I did not die nor get sick. I am assuming the root will have the same taste.
Keith
Good for you for giving them a try.
I think the roots taste better than the bulbils. Better than white potatoes, too. We found one growing in the woods down in Summerfield and made some really good hashbrowns from it.
If you had eaten the bad kind, you really would have known it. Heh.
I feel 100% responsible for this video. Thank you. I will try again, possibly with this video playing on a tablet just in case.
[…] Dioscorea alata […]
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Our landlord told me that we have ube but when I scan the leaves in a leaf identification app, it says it’s bulbifera. I guess I will have to wait for the bulbils…
Send me a picture.
from what I can see the leafs of ube can have purple stems and veins. Are D. Bulbifera always green stems and veins? Are there any toxic Diosccorea with purple D. Alata-like bulbils? In short, I’m growing purple bulbils …
I have never seen a purple Bulbifera – almost certainly you have D. alata.
Sorry. Somehow just seeing this. Will get picture tomorrow.
I have a pic but dk how to send it