Dioscorea bulbifera is a perennial vine with broad, alternate leaves, and two types of storage organs.

Air potato can grow extremely quickly, roughly 8 inches per day, and eventually reach over 60 ft long.[6] It typically climbs to the tops of trees and has a tendency to take over native plants. New plants develop from bulbils that form on the plant, and these bulbils serve as a means of dispersal. The aerial stems of air potato die back in winter, but resprouting occurs from bulbils and underground tubers.