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Accession Data:

Dioscorea elephantipes (Herit.) Engl.

  • Common Name: Elephant's Foot, Hottentot-Bread
  • Family: Dioscoreaceae R. Br.

  • Country of Origin: South Africa
  • Habitat: semi-arid bush

  • Description: Grown as a curiosity in the desert garden (USDA Zone 10) or in the greenhouse; tuber contains saponins, originally cooked and eaten as a famine food by the Hottentots.
  • USDA Zone: 10

Accession Data:

  • Accession # 198502808
  • Source: Unknown
  • Accession Date: 12-31-1985
  • Bench: 2205 - XER:Namib / Karoo B
    • Currently: active - healthy
    • Qty: 2 confirmed on 03-24-2025

Classification:

  • Division: Magnoliophyta
  • Class: Liliopsida
  • SubClass: monocots
  • Order: Dioscoreales
  • SubOrder:
  • Family: Dioscoreaceae
  • SubFamily:
  • Tribe:
  • SubTribe:

Flowering Data:

This accession has been observed in bloom on:
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003

References (internal):

  • Plants with Extrafloral Nectaries
  • EEB Greenhouse Holdings native to: Cape Provinces

References (external):

  1. The Plant List (2013). Version 1.1. Last accessed on Sunday, September 03, 2017.
  2. WCSP (2016). World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Last accessed on Sunday, September 03, 2017.

data regenerated on Mon, 24 Mar 2025 09:22:47 -0400 [bcm v4.0]

Images:

No default accession image assigned

Additional images for this accession:

Click on thumbnails to enlarge

Current Accessions in the Dioscoreaceae

  • Dioscorea bulbifera
  • Dioscorea dodecaneura
  • Dioscorea elephantipes
  • Dioscorea sylvatica
W/C = Wild Collected
= indicates flowering in past 14 days
= images available for this accession
= map available for this accession
= accession added within past 90 days
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