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

Caprivi: 11 cultivated taxa.

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

Species	Content
alata L.
bulbifera (L.) L.	Description, Image
cayenensis Lam.
cochleari-apiculata De Wild.
dumetorum (Kunth) Pax	Description, Image
hirtiflora Benth. subsp. pedicellata Milne-Redh.	Description, Image
mangenotiana J.Miège
paleata Burkill
praehensilis Benth.	Description, Image
quartiniana Hochst. ex A. Rich.	Description, Image
schimperiana Kunth	Description, Image

Other sources of information about Dioscorea:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Dioscorea
Flora of Caprivi: Dioscorea
Flora of Malawi: Dioscorea
Flora of Mozambique: Dioscorea
Flora of Zambia: 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