Sunday, June 22, 2008

Not air potatoes — really

Any local would instantly recognize these as air potatoes — but they're not. I'm hoping that they are the native Florida Yam (Dioscorea Floridana) but there is a related species, Wild Yam or 4-leaf yam (D. Villosa) which is native north of here but is reported in Alachua county. I'm not sure how to tell them apart, but I can tell them from air potatoes — I think) — because the petioles (the leaf stems) don't clasp the stem. Also it has rhizomes underground, rather than tubers, but that would require digging them up.

The real proof, of course comes in the fall when they don't have aerial tubers. The problem with this is that if they do get aerial tubers, then it means I should have dug them up before that. Fortunately these are right along the path, just south of the worship in nature area, so if I'm wrong we'll be sure to notice them before they fall.

Not the that there is any shortage of air potatoes. I put up the yellow flag to the right last year to mark some Florida yams, but the thing growing up it is definitely an air potato. As proved by the tuber, now in the trash. Still, there are fewer than last year, and, we hope, more than next year.

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