Colic root

Dioscorea villosa (dy-oh-SKOR-ee-uh vil-OH-suh)

Family: Dioscoreaceae Native Vine (vertical)

Wild yam is a native, herbaceous perennial, and twining vine that grows 3 to 18 feet long and is found in moist forests and woodlands in Southern Ontario to the Central and Eastern United States. It has smooth, cylindrical, twining stems, green cordate leaves with palmate veining, and male and female flowers on separate plants. It is a member of the yam family (Dioscoreaceae). The genus name, Dioscorea , honors a Greek physician and botanist, Pedanios Dioscorides. The specific epithet, villosa, means covered with soft hairs. This refers to the presence of soft hairs on the undersides of the plant's leaves. Grows in full sun or partial shade and in various soil types. The distinctive features of the wild yam include the palmately veined leaves, tiny flowers arranged in racemes or panicles, a 3-angled seed capsule, and slender rhizomes. The leaves are cordate, smooth, and medium green, and their petioles are green to dark red. Individual plants have either male or female flowers, and the flowers develop at the leaf axils. The male flowers are in 4 to 12-inch-long panicles, and the female flowers are arranged in 3 to 8-inch racemes. The tiny male flowers are 1/8-inch across, each having 6 whitish-green or yellowish-green tepals, 6 fertile stamens, and appear in clusters of 1 to 3 blooms. The tiny female flowers are similar except they have 5 to 15 blooms per raceme, 6 infertile stamens, and a large ovary. The female flowers are replaced by 1-inch capsules, each capsule containing 1 or 2 seeds. The wild yam can be found in woodland borders, thickets, near railroad clearances, or fences. The vines can provide habitat for birds; however, mammals tend to avoid the leaves as a food source. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant insect pests or diseases.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 57 attributes.