Air Potato

Air potato is an invasive plant species in Florida that should be removed from public and private properties to help protect the state's natural areas. It can quickly engulf native vegetation in natural areas, climbing high into mature tree canopies (Figure 1). It produces large numbers of bulbils (aerial tubers), which facilitate its spread and make it extremely difficult to eliminate because new plants sprout from even very small bulbils. It invades a variety of habitats including pinelands and hammocks of natural areas.

Publications

• Air Potato Leaf Beetle (Suggested Common Name), Lilioceris cheni Gressitt and Kimoto (Insecta: Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Criocerinae)
• Classical Biological Control of Air Potato in Florida
• Natural Area Weeds: Air Potato (Dioscorea bulbifera)

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