Air Potato
Place of Origin: Tropical Asia and Africa
Place of Harm: Hawaii, Gulf Coast states, Latin America
First Introduced: 1770’s in Alabama, 1905 Florida
Harms: All nearby plant life, especially trees
Other Names: Varahi, air yam, bitter yam
Taxonomy: Dioscoreales, Dioscoreaceae
Air potato is a perennial monocot vine first introduced to Florida from Africa in 1905 as a gardening experiment. It gets its name from the small potato-like bulbs that form on the vines. They are actually the bulbils; the real tubers form underground. The vine grows 100 ft tall or more. Many gardeners wanted to grow them because of their pretty leaves (despite the fact that they are poisonous to eat). They were quickly warned how fast it grows (around 8 in. every day) but the air potato continued to spread rapidly and uncontrollably. The flowers smell like cinnamon. The problem with the air potato is that it can grow extremely fast, swarming up trees and taking over native plants by blocking sunlight and stealing water/nutrients. It spreads through the bulbils, which can be moved by mowing, animals, online buying/selling, and water flow. They die in the winter, but resprout from the tubers. The air potato roundup is an annual event that recruits volunteers to find and kill air potatoes by digging and cutting. Mechanical methods are limited because machines, fire, etc. will damage the surrounding plants/ecosystem. Another strategy is the release of a certain red-backed leaf beetle (Lilioceris cheni) from Nepal/China, which eat the leaves and use them for breeding. Chemical control with triclopyr (1-2% solution with water) and glyphosate (2-3%) is also used, though it does not permanently remove the air potatoes (multiple applications will be needed to get rid of the tubers). The air potato life cycle is started with a bulbil. It will continue to grow rapidly 8 in. every day until it grows into a long vine, around 70 ft long and 150 ft tall. The vine sprouts up to 200 bulbils a year, about 4 in each leaf axil, usually but not limited to autumn/winter, and they will get spread around by machines, animals, and humans to grow even more air potatoes. In the native range, air potatoes grow small white flowers and fruits as capsules, but they are rarely seen in its invasive range. Similar native species include Florida Yam (Dioscorea floridana) and wild yam (Dioscorea villosa), both native to the East coast. In Africa and Asia, they are an edible major important staple and are one of the most consumed yams in the world. They are also used as a folk remedy. “Dioscorea” comes from the ancient Greek physician and botanist Dioscorides.
Place of Origin: Tropical Asia and Africa
Place of Harm: Hawaii, Gulf Coast states, Latin America
First Introduced: 1770’s in Alabama, 1905 Florida
Harms: All nearby plant life, especially trees
Other Names: Varahi, air yam, bitter yam
Taxonomy: Dioscoreales, Dioscoreaceae
Air potato is a perennial monocot vine first introduced to Florida from Africa in 1905 as a gardening experiment. It gets its name from the small potato-like bulbs that form on the vines. They are actually the bulbils; the real tubers form underground. The vine grows 100 ft tall or more. Many gardeners wanted to grow them because of their pretty leaves (despite the fact that they are poisonous to eat). They were quickly warned how fast it grows (around 8 in. every day) but the air potato continued to spread rapidly and uncontrollably. The flowers smell like cinnamon. The problem with the air potato is that it can grow extremely fast, swarming up trees and taking over native plants by blocking sunlight and stealing water/nutrients. It spreads through the bulbils, which can be moved by mowing, animals, online buying/selling, and water flow. They die in the winter, but resprout from the tubers. The air potato roundup is an annual event that recruits volunteers to find and kill air potatoes by digging and cutting. Mechanical methods are limited because machines, fire, etc. will damage the surrounding plants/ecosystem. Another strategy is the release of a certain red-backed leaf beetle (Lilioceris cheni) from Nepal/China, which eat the leaves and use them for breeding. Chemical control with triclopyr (1-2% solution with water) and glyphosate (2-3%) is also used, though it does not permanently remove the air potatoes (multiple applications will be needed to get rid of the tubers). The air potato life cycle is started with a bulbil. It will continue to grow rapidly 8 in. every day until it grows into a long vine, around 70 ft long and 150 ft tall. The vine sprouts up to 200 bulbils a year, about 4 in each leaf axil, usually but not limited to autumn/winter, and they will get spread around by machines, animals, and humans to grow even more air potatoes. In the native range, air potatoes grow small white flowers and fruits as capsules, but they are rarely seen in its invasive range. Similar native species include Florida Yam (Dioscorea floridana) and wild yam (Dioscorea villosa), both native to the East coast. In Africa and Asia, they are an edible major important staple and are one of the most consumed yams in the world. They are also used as a folk remedy. “Dioscorea” comes from the ancient Greek physician and botanist Dioscorides.
Essential Question
"Could a genetically engineered invasive species potentially be used in warfare?"