1252.000 Dioscorea L. - Yams

Description of the genus

Twining dioecious herbs, sometimes bearing aerial tubers. Leaves alternate or opposite, simple or compound (3-7-digitate). Male inflorescences of axillary spikes or racemes, sometimes a terminal panicle. Female inflorescences of axillary spikes. Ovary 3-locular. Fruit a 3-lobed capsule. Seeds sometimes winged.

Worldwide: c. 850 species in tropical and warm regions

Zambia: 14 taxa.

Dioscorea praehensilis

Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsProvincesContent
alata L. Nw,Cb,C,S,W
asteriscus BurkillB,N,W,C,SLp,Lk,WDescription, Image
baya De Wild. var. baya WNw
buchananii Benth. subsp. buchananii C,E,SNw,Mc,E,C,LkDescription, Image
bulbifera (L.) L.BCb,WDescription, Image
cochleari-apiculata De Wild.N,W,SN,C,S
dumetorum (Kunth) PaxN,W,C,SCb,Lp,N,C,Lk,SDescription, Image
hirtiflora Benth. subsp. pedicellata Milne-Redh.B,N,W,C,SLk,WDescription, Image
praehensilis Benth.[LR-nt]N,W,C,ENw,Lp,N,E,C,LkDescription, Image
preussii Pax subsp. hylophila (Harms) WilkinNMc
quartiniana Hochst. ex A. Rich.B,N,W,C,SNw,LkDescription, Image
sansibarensis PaxNMcDescription, Image
schimperiana KunthN,W,C,ENw,Cb,EDescription, Image
sylvatica Eckl.N,C,SLk,SDescription, Image

Other sources of information about Dioscorea:

Our websites:

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

External websites:

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

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: Genus page: Dioscorea.
https://www.zambiaflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=375, retrieved 19 March 2024

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