How to identify the genders of Dioscorea elephantipes

In a previous blog, we discussed the difference between male and female Euphorbia obesa. As a brief recap on the older blog, most plants on Earth are monoecious, or genderless. Both the male and female flowers, or parts of the flowers, occur on the same plant. However, with plants like Dioscorea elephantipes, also known as the Elephant’s Foot plant, this is not the case. These plants are dioecious. This means that there are separate male and female plants, and you will need at least one of each to produce seed. In this blog, we will discuss how to identify the genders of Dioscorea elephantipes.

Taking a closer look

Dioscorea elephantipes has pale-yellow-white, almost daisy-like flowers with six petals. However, their flowers are quite small, only reaching about 5mm in diameter. The other feature that makes them stand out from other succulent flowers is their scent. Dioscorea elephantipes flowers have a pleasant, perfume-y and almost vanilla-like smell. This attracts their natural pollinators, mainly carpenter bees and honey bees.

This species is opportunistic and will flower when conditions are favourable, normally soon after the growing season begins in late summer. Generally, plants need to be 8-10 years old to produce flowers, but there are reports of young plants producing flowers at around 5 years old. Lastly, only about a quarter of plants will be female. The vast majority of specimens are males.

Male Dioscorea elephantipes flowers

The flowers of male Dioscorea elephantipes are relatively short, and seem to be attached to their own thin ‘stem’ growing from the vine. The male flowers have barely protruding yellow anthers. These produce pollen, making it the easiest way to identify a male plant. If you are unsure, rub a cotton bud on the protruding portion of the flower. If there is pollen on it (powdery yellow substance), the plant is a male.

Female Dioscorea elephantipes flowers

In contrast to the thin-stemmed male flowers, female Dioscorea elephantipes flowers grow on top of a enlarged, three-lobed ovary, which is clearly distinguishable from the plant’s vines. This is the part of the flower that will form a seed pod. On top of the flower there is a single, three-pronged stigma. The stigma is pure white, and may appear somewhat sticky. The flower petals also tend to bend backwards, allowing pollinators easier access to the stigma.

Pollinating Dioscorea elephantipes flowers

As mentioned earlier, the main pollinators of Dioscorea elephantipes are carpenter bees and honey bees. However, if you do not want to wait for nature to take its course, you can use an extra fine paintbrush to pollinate these plants. Gently brush the male flowers to collect yellow pollen, then apply it to the female plant.

Once you successfully pollinate a female plant, it produces a large, three-sided fruit. This fruit, also known as a seed pod, contains the seeds. The seed pod will continue growing larger before eventually turning a light brown colour. At this point, it is important to cover the pod with some fine mesh or an organza bag in order to capture the seeds. Otherwise, the pod will burst open and wind will disperse the seeds.

Germinating Dioscorea elephantipes seeds

The seeds themselves are light brown, with thin papery ‘wings’ surrounding the embryo, which allows the seeds to be carried by the wind.

You do not need to clean Dioscorea elephantipes seeds before sowing them. However, it is important to give the seeds a rest period after harvesting. We find that Dioscorea seed are dormant immediately after forming. It is best to wait until the next autumn after harvesting to sow seeds. Generally a 6 month rest period is sufficient. As an example of why a rest period is important, we sowed fresh Dioscorea hemicrypta seed in March 2024, only to wait a full year for the seeds to finally germinate in March 2025!

To sow your seed, fill a tray with a mix of coco peat, perlite and vermiculite and make sure it is moist. Do not use any hard or gritty substrate like milled bark, as this will interfere with caudex formation. Sow the seeds about 2-3cm under the soil in a sowing tray. It is important not to bury the seeds too deeply, otherwise they will struggle to germinate. They do however seem to prefer being covered by soil, and this will encourage better caudex growth. Cover the tray to increase humidity until at least half the seeds have germinated. We find germination will take place within 20 days using this method. However, some seeds may only germinate after 31-40 days, so be patient, and do not throw out ‘dud’ seeds.

Dioscorea seedlings grow relatively quickly for the first two or three years, then slow down to some extent. Make sure the caudex stays buried for at least two years. While raising it above the soil looks great, exposing the caudex prematurely will cause the plant to grow much slower.

Want to obtain your own Dioscorea elephantipes – Elephant’s Foot plant?

If you want to add one of these plants to your collection, we can help! Living Desert Plants grows Dioscorea elephantipes from seed, and you can order one by clicking here.