Meet Harold (ask Kim about the name!). He is a male Dioscorea mexicana. Harold’s kin are native to Veracruz, Oaxaca, Puebla, and Chiapas. The woody caudex typically grows buried in the ground. Collectors like to see the bark, although it’s unnatural for this plant to grow this way. Harold puts out one new vine every year, which branches out and wraps around the tree.
We found this plant at one of the Santa Barbara shows in the 1980’s, at a bromeliad table. Harold stays dry in the winter when he sleeps. Harold is located in a big pot at the base of the three-stem Phoenix reclinata palms in the front.
May 2026 MGOC Garden Tour 
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