Air Potato (Dioscorea bulbifera): Invasive Yam Vine Identification and Control

Q: Invasive Vine with "Potatoes" on Stems

Q: I have a lovely but horribly invasive vine growing little potatoes on its stem. It sprouts and spreads like a demon—nearly taking over a 3-acre lot! What is it and what can I do?

A: Most call it "Tater Vine" or "Air Potato." It's a yam variety, Dioscorea bulbifera. Glossy green leaves are ornamental, but the vine's intrusive nature places it near the top of Florida's Invasive Plant List. I don't know why it's not a worse pest here, but we can be thankful.

Like kudzu, air potato has a large starchy root storing energy for re-sprouting if leaves are cut. Systemic herbicides like glyphosate (Roundup) or triclopyr (Brush Killer, Brush-B-Gon) give fair immediate results but require re-application every time leaves reappear—a chore on three acres. Protect other plants from spray; this is your best choice.

MORE INFORMATION

Air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera) is a non-native invasive vine in Florida. Large handsome leaves allow it to quickly grow 60-70 feet, overtopping and shading out tall trees. A yam family member, it produces aerial tubers (potato-like growths on stems) that grow into new plants.

Dioscorea species are cultivated for edible underground tubers in West Africa. Uncultivated forms (as in Florida) are reported bitter and even poisonous. Varieties containing steroid diosgenin are principal material for birth-control pill manufacture. Air potato likely introduced to Florida as ornamental and food plant around 1905; by early 1970s recognized as pest statewide.

Edibility Questions

Q: Can air potato 'taters be eaten?

A: Internet searches show they're eaten steamed or boiled in Hawaii and Panama, but no preparation notes found. A reader sent a recipe cooking 'taters with rice, safe in small quantities. Eat if you must... and remember kudzu can be a dining delight too.

Q: I've grown air potato for years on a fence so bulblets don't spread. Tiny potatoes are edible and good in rice near end of cooking (about five minutes). Important to harvest bulblets to reduce next year's plants.

A: Bon Appetit!

How To Identify Air Potato

Winter dormant period: stems die back to ground. After dormancy, underground tubers produce stems quickly reaching 70 feet by season's end. Stem is herbaceous (not woody), round, not winged. Large leaves up to 8 inches long, heart-shaped (cordate), basal lobes rounded. Leaf veins radiate from single point. Long petioles, alternate on stem. Flowers small, greenish, fragrant, hanging in long clusters (panicles/spikes) up to 4 inches. Fruit is a seed capsule. Aerial tubers attached at leaf axils, greyish, irregular. Underground tubers may be larger.

Various botanical references note toxicity and preparation methods: axillary tubers cut, steeped, boiled; aerial bulbs eaten in Hawaii; some species poisonous raw but peeled, sun-dried, cooked; "cheeky yam" makes you sick unless grated and thoroughly washed.