Spermatophyta: Monocotyledonae: Dioscoreales

Dioscoreaceae - Yam family

Taccaceae

Milne-Redhead, E. (1975) Dioscoreaceae Flora of Tropical East Africa

Wilkin, P. (2009) Dioscoreaceae Flora Zambesiaca 12(2)

Description of the family

Mostly twining herbs except for the genus Tacca, which has been included in this family since the APG II system of 2003. Stems annual, often prickly below, arising from tubers or rhizomes, climbing over other vegetation. Flowers unisexual (in ours). Perianth segments in 2 series. Ovary inferior, rarely semi-inferior or superior, (1-)3-locular. Fruit a dehiscent, 3-winged or 3-angled capsule (in ours).

Worldwide: 9 genera and 890 species, tropical and warm areas with a few northern temperate.

Zambia: 2 genera and 15 taxa.

Tacca leontopetaloides

Links to genera:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

GenusContent
Dioscorea L.Description, Image
Tacca J.R. Forst. & G. Forst.Description, Image

Other sources of information about Dioscoreaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Dioscoreaceae
Flora of Caprivi: Dioscoreaceae
Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Dioscoreaceae
Flora of Malawi: Dioscoreaceae
Flora of Mozambique: Dioscoreaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: Dioscoreaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Dioscoreaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Dioscoreaceae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Dioscoreaceae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Dioscoreaceae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Dioscoreaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Dioscoreaceae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Dioscoreaceae
JSTOR Plant Science: Dioscoreaceae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Dioscoreaceae
Wikipedia: Dioscoreaceae
Plants of the World Online: Dioscoreaceae
Tropicos: Dioscoreaceae



Copyright: Mike Bingham, Annette Willemen, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Mark Hyde, 2011-24

Bingham, M.G., Willemen, A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. and Hyde, M.A. (2024). Flora of Zambia: Family page: Dioscoreaceae.
https://www.zambiaflora.com/speciesdata/family.php?family_id=73, retrieved 19 March 2024

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