Flower profile
Wild yam
Dioscorea villosa
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–July.
*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
- In Virginia, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–June. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 2,988 research-grade sightings of it in Virginia, ranking #54 among the 110 flowers on our Virginia list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 1,950 research-grade sightings of it in Maryland, ranking #60 among the 110 flowers on our Maryland list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 1,260 research-grade sightings of it in Tennessee, ranking #95 among the 112 flowers on our Tennessee list. iNaturalist
Wild yam gift ideas
Handmade wild yam gifts from independent makers.
🌱 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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Wild yam art print
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Wild yam greeting card
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Wild yam mug
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Wild yam earrings
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Wild yam embroidery pattern
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Wild yam sticker
When does it bloom?
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
- 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?
NC State Extension notes: “The wild yam does not produce edible tubers.” NC State Extension
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.
More Virginia flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile DIVI4.
- iNaturalist, Dioscorea villosa: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Dioscorea villosa (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Virginia: Virginia endangered and threatened plant and insect species (2VAC5-320-10).
- Virginia: Virginia noxious weeds (2VAC5-317-20, Tier 1, 2 and 3).
- Maryland: Maryland threatened and endangered plants (COMAR 08.03.08.05, .06 and .08).
- Maryland: Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List (COMAR 15.06.04.06; MDA, updated July 2026).
- Tennessee: Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act).
- Tennessee: Tennessee Pest Plant List (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0080-06-24-.02).
- Georgia: Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed).
- Kentucky: Kentucky endangered and threatened plant lists (400 KAR 3:040, eff. 2026).
- Kentucky: Kentucky noxious weeds and invasive plants on state rights-of-way (KRS 176.051; species list from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet).
- Alabama: Alabama noxious weeds (Ala. Admin. Code r. 80-10-14-.04).
- West Virginia: West Virginia noxious weeds (W. Va. Code R. § 61-14A-5) (the rule abbreviates some names (e.g. “P. cuspidatum”); we expand them to match).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Dioscorea villosa (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
- Photo: botanygirl via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.