Jungle Symmetry Patterns

This plant, Dioscorea bulbifera,
has very interesting heart shaped leaves with symmetric patterns. It is commonly known as the air potato, air yam, bitt...
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This plant, Dioscorea bulbifera,
has very interesting heart shaped leaves with symmetric patterns. It is commonly known as the air potato, air yam, bitter yam, cheeky yam, potato yam, aerial yam,and parsnip yam. It is a species of true yam in the yam family, Dioscoreaceae. It is native to Africa, Asia and northern Australia. It is widely cultivated and has become naturalized in many regions (Latin America, the West Indies, the Southeastern United States, and various oceanic islands).
Dioscorea bulbifera is a perennial vine with broad, alternate leaves, and two types of storage organs. The plant forms bulbils in the leaf axils of the twining stems, and tubers beneath the ground. These tubers are like small, oblong potatoes. Some varieties are edible and cultivated as a food crop, especially in West Africa. The tubers of edible varieties often have a bitter taste, which can be removed by boiling. They can then be prepared in the same way as other yams, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.

Air potato can grow extremely quickly, roughly 8 inches per day, and eventually reach over 60 ft long. It typically climbs to the tops of trees and has a tendency to take over native plants.

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