Bloomipedia
Wild yam (Dioscorea villosa)
Photo: botanygirl via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Wild yam

Dioscorea villosa

Wild yam (Dioscorea villosa) is a vine in the Dioscoreaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–June across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Wild yam is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 7 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–June.

33states where USDA records it
7Bloomipedia state lists include it
18,031U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia

Quick look

Dioscorea villosa is a species of twining tuberous vine which is native to eastern North America. It is commonly known as wild yam, colic root, rheumatism root, devil's bones, and fourleaf yam. It is common and widespread in a range stretching from Texas and Florida north to Minnesota, Ontario and Massachusetts.

  • 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 native in the lower 48 states and records it in 33 states. USDA PLANTS
  • iNaturalist has 2,988 research-grade sightings of it in Virginia, ranking #56 among the 189 flowers on our Virginia list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 1,950 research-grade sightings of it in Maryland, ranking #62 among the 189 flowers on our Maryland list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 1,260 research-grade sightings of it in Tennessee, ranking #97 among the 182 flowers on our Tennessee list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (193 records)
Bloom time in the 7 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
VirginiaNativefew records (31)2,988
MarylandNativefew records (7)1,950
TennesseeNativefew records (10)1,260
GeorgiaNativefew records (12)951
KentuckyNativefew records (14)789
AlabamaNativefew records (9)657
West VirginiaNativefew records (5)456

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe global
G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
State rare plant lists
Not listed Not on the official rare plant list in 5 of our 7 states.
See each state
Virginia
Not listed Not on Virginia endangered and threatened plant and insect species (2VAC5-320-10). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Virginia. 2VAC5-320-10
Maryland
Not listed Not on Maryland threatened and endangered plants (COMAR 08.03.08.05, .06 and .08). NatureServe: S5, secure in Maryland. COMAR 08.03.08
Tennessee
Not listed Not on Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Tennessee. TN rule 0400-06-02-.04
Georgia
Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe: S5, secure in Georgia. Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09
Kentucky
Not listed Not on Kentucky endangered and threatened plant lists (400 KAR 3:040, eff. 2026). NatureServe: S5, secure in Kentucky. 400 KAR 3:040
Alabama
No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alabama.
West Virginia
No list West Virginia has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (only federally listed species are protected), so we show NatureServe's West Virginia ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in West Virginia.
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: KS (S2), NE (S1), RI (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

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: “The wild yam does not produce edible tubers.” 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 wild yam in 33 states plus Washington, D.C.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin; District of Columbia.

Virginia counties with USDA records: Accomack, Albemarle, Amelia, Amherst, Appomattox, Arlington, Augusta, Bath, Bedford, Bland, Botetourt, Buchanan, Buckingham, Campbell, Caroline, Carroll, Charles City, Charlotte, Chesapeake , Chesterfield, Clarke, Craig, Culpeper, Cumberland, Dickenson, Dinwiddie, Essex, Fairfax, Fauquier, Floyd, Fluvanna, Franklin, Frederick, Giles, Gloucester, Goochland, Grayson, Greene, Greensville, Halifax, Hanover, Henrico, Henry, Highland, Isle of Wight, James City, King George, King William, King and Queen, Lancaster, Lee, Loudoun, Louisa, Lunenburg, Madison, Mathews, Mecklenburg, Middlesex, Montgomery, Nelson, New Kent, Newport News , Northampton, Northumberland, Nottoway, Orange, Page, Patrick, Pittsylvania, Powhatan, Prince Edward, Prince George, Prince William, Rappahannock, Richmond, Roanoke, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Russell, Scott, Shenandoah, Smyth, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Suffolk , Surry, Sussex, Tazewell, Virginia Beach , Warren, Washington, Westmoreland, Wythe, York.

Maryland counties with USDA records: Anne Arundel, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's, Wicomico, Worcester.

Tennessee counties with USDA records: Anderson, Benton, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Carroll, Carter, Cheatham, Chester, Claiborne, Cocke, Coffee, Cumberland, Davidson, Decatur, Dickson, Fayette, Fentress, Franklin, Greene, Grundy, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hardeman, Hardin, Hawkins, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Houston, Knox, Lake, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lewis, Loudon, Macon, Marion, McMinn, McNairy, Monroe, Montgomery, Moore, Morgan, Obion, Perry, Pickett, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Robertson, Rutherford, Sevier, Shelby, Stewart, Sumner, Tipton, Unicoi, Union, Van Buren, Wayne, White, Williamson.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native; Puerto Rico: Native.

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Dioscorea hirticaulis.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 1070 counties across 32 states; the most are in Illinois (102), Virginia (94), Ohio (74).

Other Dioscorea on Bloomipedia (1): Air potato.

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Sources