Dioscorea dodecaneura Vell. (synonym: Dioscorea discolor Kunth) is a perennial climbing plant producing annual stems form a perennial rootstock. These stems scramble over the ground, or twine into the surrounding vegetation. Leaf blades are brilliantly coloured and very variable. The large deep green heart shaped leaves are veined with silver and randomly mottled with maroon and black with the undersides a rich pinkish purple. As the season progresses the leaves increase in size. This vigorous but manageable vine grows in a counterclockwise direction to a height of 2 to 4 meters form underground tubers (same genus as edible yams) and has small drooping clusters of tiny white, aromatic flowers. Goes dormant around 5 °C where the tubers may be left in the ground, but they need to be kept dry to prevent rotting. In colder climates lift tubers in the fall to overwinter in a cool frost-free location.
The genus name Dioscorea is named after a Greek naturalist (botanist, pharmacologist, and briefly, Emperor Nero’s personal physician) of the first century, Πεδάνιος Διοσκουρίδης (Pedánios Dioskourídēs, “Dioscorides”)
Dioscorea discolor
Dioscorea discolor plants that we sell, come in following sizes:
L - is ca 40 cm long/ tall and comes in an 8 cm pot
