Bloomipedia
Air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera)
Photo: Jared Shorma via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Air potato

Dioscorea bulbifera

Not native to Florida

Air potato is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as introduced in the lower 48 states.

6states
4,695FL sightings*
5,708U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Florida

🚫
Regulated invasive plant in Florida. It's on that state' official invasive plant list (Florida: Noxious weed (sale prohibited)). Please don't plant or share it there. FAC 5B-57.007

Quick look

Dioscorea bulbifera is a species of true yam in the yam family, Dioscoreaceae. It is native to Africa, Asia and northern Australia. It is widely cultivated and has become naturalized in many regions.

  • It belongs to the Dioscoreaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a vine with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 6 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as not native to Florida. NatureServe
  • iNaturalist has 4,695 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #41 among the 110 flowers on our Florida list. iNaturalist

State flower gift ideas

This one is a regulated invasive plant, so here are state flower gifts instead.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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    State flower print

    Gift pick coming soon

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    Birth-flower necklace

    Gift pick coming soon

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    Wildflower seed favors

    Gift pick coming soon

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    Botanical tea towel

    Gift pick coming soon

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    Pressed-flower frame

    Gift pick coming soon

  • Placeholder

    Flower-garden mug

    Gift pick coming soon

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2 records)

There are only a handful of Florida flowering records, so this chart uses records from across the U.S.

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe global
GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. NatureServe
Florida
Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Florida. FAC 5B-40.0055
Rare elsewhere
No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleEdible (per NC State Extension)

NC State Extension notes: “Inedible fruits” NC State Extension

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records air potato in 6 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas.

Florida counties with USDA records: Alachua, Citrus, Collier, DeSoto, Franklin, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Jackson, Lake, Lee, Marion, Miami-Dade, Nassau, Orange, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota.

More Florida flowers

White beggarticks (Bidens alba)

White beggarticks

Bidens alba

Native

🌼 Blooms in FL: January–December
American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)

American beautyberry

Callicarpa americana

Native

🌼 Blooms in FL: April–July
Largeflower Mexican clover (Richardia grandiflora)

Largeflower Mexican clover

Richardia grandiflora

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in FL: January–December

Sources