From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dioscorea is a genus of over 600 species of flowering plants in the family Dioscoreaceae, native throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions of the world. The vast majority of the species are tropical, with only a few species extending into temperate climates.
They are tuberous herbaceous perennial lianas, growing to 2-12 m or more tall. The leaves are spirally arranged, mostly broad heart-shaped. The flowers are individually inconspicuous, greenish-yellow, with six petals; they are mostly dioecious, with separate male and female plants, though a few species are monoecious, with male and female flowers on the same plant. The fruit is a capsule in most species, a soft berry in a few species.
- Selected species
- Dioscorea alata L.
- Dioscorea althaeoides Knuth
- Dioscorea altissima Lam.
- Dioscorea aspersa Prain & Burkill
- Dioscorea balcanica Kosanin
- Dioscorea banzhuana C.P'ei & C.T.Ting
- Dioscorea belophylla Voigt ex Haines
- Dioscorea benthamii Prain & Burkill
- Dioscorea bicolor Prain & Burkill
- Dioscorea biformifolia C.P'ei & C.T.Ting
- Dioscorea birmanica Prain & Burkill
- Dioscorea bulbifera L.
- Dioscorea cayenensis
- Dioscorea chingii Prain & Burkill
- Dioscorea cirrhosa Lour.
- Dioscorea collettii Hook.f.
- Dioscorea cumingii Prain & Burkill
- Dioscorea decipiens Hook.f.
- Dioscorea delavayi Franch.
- Dioscorea deltoidea Wall. ex Kunth
- Dioscorea dumetorum
- Dioscorea elephantipes
- Dioscorea esculenta
- Dioscorea esquirolii
- Dioscorea exalata
- Dioscorea floridana Bartlett
- Dioscorea fordii
- Dioscorea futschauensis
- Dioscorea garrettii
- Dioscorea glabra
- Dioscorea gracillima
- Dioscorea hemsleyi
- Dioscorea hispida
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- Dioscorea japonica
- Dioscorea kamoonensis
- Dioscorea linearicordata
- Dioscorea martini
- Dioscorea melanophyma Burkill & Prain
- Dioscorea menglaensis
- Dioscorea nipponica
- Dioscorea nitens
- Dioscorea opposita
- Dioscorea panthaica
- Dioscorea pentaphylla
- Dioscorea persimilis
- Dioscorea poilanei
- Dioscorea polygonoides
- Dioscorea polystachya Turczaninow
- Dioscorea preussii
- Dioscorea rotunda
- Dioscorea sansibarensis Pax
- Dioscorea scortechinii
- Dioscorea simulans
- Dioscorea sinoparviflora
- Dioscorea spongiosa
- Dioscorea subcalva
- Dioscorea tentaculigera
- Dioscorea tenuipes
- Dioscorea tokoro
- Dioscorea trifida
- Dioscorea velutipes
- Dioscorea villosa L.
- Dioscorea wallichii
- Dioscorea xizangensis
- Dioscorea yunnanensis
- Dioscorea zingiberensis
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The closely related genus Tamus is included in Dioscorea by some botanists; for Dioscorea communis (L.) Caddick & Wilkin, see Tamus communis .
[edit] Cultivation and uses
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A small number of species, known as Yams, are important agricultural crops in tropical regions, grown for their large tubers, which although toxic when fresh, can be detoxified and eaten.
[edit] References
