Dioscorea convolvulacea

• Common Names
• Description
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• Bibliography
• More Info
• Notes

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Family Dioscoreaceae

Herbs twining or woody vines , rarely erect , small herbs. Rootstock rhizomatous or tuberous . Stem twining to left or right , pubescent or glabrous , sometimes prickly. Leaves alternate or opposite, petiolate , simple or palmately compound , basal veins 3--13, interstitial veins reticulate; leaflets of palmately compound leaves often ovate or lanceolate. Flowers usually unisexual (when plants dioecious, rarely monoecious), sometimes bisexual , solitary, clustered, or in cymules , these in a spike, raceme , or thyrse , these sometimes grouped into panicles. Male flowers: perianth lobes 6, in 2 whorls, basally connate or free ; stamens 6, sometimes 3 reduced to staminodes or absent, inserted on perianth or receptacle; ovary rudimentary or absent. Female flowers: similar to male ones; staminodes 3, 6, or absent; ovary inferior, 3-loculed, ovules usually 2 per locule (more than 2 in a few small genera), placentation axile ; styles 3, free. Fruit a capsule, berry, or samara. Seeds with a membranous wing or not; endosperm present; embryo small.

About nine genera and 650 species: widely distributed in tropical and temperate regions , especially in tropical America; one genus and 52 species (21 endemic, two introduced ) in China.Chih-chi Ting & Michael G. Gilbert "Dioscoreaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 24 Page 276. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.

Genus Dioscorea

Herbs twining . Rootstock rhizomatous or tuberous , variable in color, shape , chemical constituents, and depth in ground . Bulblets axillary or absent. Leaves alternate or opposite, petiolate , simple or palmately compound , basal veins 3--9. Flowers unisexual (plants dioecious, rarely monoecious), arranged spirally in axillary, usually elongate spikes or racemes , or in small cymules in ± spikelike thyrses , these often several together, sometimes gathered into a terminal or axillary panicle by reduction of subtending leaves. Male flowers: stamens 6, 3 sometimes reduced to staminodes or absent. Female spikes 3.5--10 cm, few flowered. Female flowers: staminodes 3, 6, or absent. Capsule 3-winged, dehiscent apically at maturity. Seeds with a membranous wing.

More than 600 species: widely distributed in tropical and temperate regions ; 52 species (21 endemic, two introduced ) in China.

Dioscorea is a genus of great economic value, including important food plants. Several species are widely cultivated in many cultivars (including Dioscorea alata D. esculenta D. japonica and D. polystachya), while other, wild species are valuable famine foods. Other species are sources of drugs both in traditional Chinese and Western medicine (notably D. nipponica and D. zingiberensis which are major sources of steroid precursors) ."Dioscorea". in Flora of China Vol. 24 Page 276. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.

Habitat

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,500 meters (0 to 8,202 feet).Mean = 568.480 meters (1,865.092 feet), Standard Deviation = 720.710 based on 272 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre.

Taxonomy

Unambiguous Synonyms

1. Dioscorea convolvulacea Cham. & Schldl.

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Place of publication : Linnaea 6:49. 1831

Name verified on 24-Mar-2006 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 24-Mar-2006

Similar Species

Members of the genus Dioscorea

There are approximately 971 species in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

D. abysmophila · D. abyssinica · D. acanthogene · D. acarophyta · D. acerifolia · D. acrotheca · D. aculeata · D. acuminata · D. acutangula · D. acutata · D. acutifolia · D. adenantha · D. adenocarpa · D. aesculifolia · D. affinis · D. aguilarii · D. ainensis · D. alata (Purple Yam) · D. alatipes · D. albanica · D. albicaulis · D. albinervia · D. alboholosericea · D. alta · D. althaeoides · D. altissima (Dunguey) · D. amaranthifolia · D. amaranthoides · D. amaranthoides var. elegantula · D. amarantoides · D. amarantoides var. crumenigera · D. amarantoides var. metallica · D. amazonum · D. amoena · D. analalavensis · D. ancachsensis · D. anchiatasi · D. anchietae · D. anconensis · D. andina · D. andongensis · D. andromedusae · D. angolensis · D. anguina · D. angulata · D. angusta · D. angustiflora · D. angustifolia · D. anomala · D. antaly · D. anthropophagorum · D. antucoana · D. apiculata · D. apurimacensis · D. arachidna · D. araucana · D. arcuata · D. arcuatinervis · D. argyrogyna · D. arifolia · D. aristolochiaefolia · D. aristolochiifolia · D. armata · D. asclepiadea · D. aspera · D. aspersa · D. asperula · D. asteriscus · D. astrostigma · D. atrescens · D. atropurpurea · D. auriculata · D. axilliflora · D. bahiensis · D. baicalensis · D. bako · D. balcanica · D. balsapuertensis · D. bangii · D. banzhuana · D. barclayi · D. bartlettii · D. basiclavicaulis · D. baya · D. beccariana · D. beecheyi · D. belizensis · D. belophylla · D. belophylloides · D. bemandry · D. bemarivensis · D. benthamii · D. berenicea · D. bermejensis · D. bernoulliana · D. berteroana · D. besseriana · D. beyrichii · D. bicolor · D. biformifolia

Bibliography

• Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana. (F Mesoamer)
• Gómez-Pompa, A. & V. Sosa, eds. 1978–. Flora de Veracruz. (F Veracruz)
• Hammel, B. E. et al., eds. 2003–. Manual de plantas de Costa Rica. (Man CostaR)
• Kunkel, G. 1984. Plants for human consumption. (L Edible Pl)
• McVaugh, R. 1983–. Flora Novo-Galiciana. (F NGalicia)
• Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946–1976. Flora of Guatemala. (F Guat)
• Stevens, W. D. et al., eds. 2001. Flora de Nicaragua. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 85(1-3). (F Nicaragua)
• Ting Chih-tsun, Chang Mei-chen & Ling Ping-ping. 1985. Dioscoreaceae. In: Pei Chien & Ting Chih-tsun, eds., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 16(1) : 54--120.

More Info

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Notes

Contributors

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2007. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed March 24, 2007.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed February 28, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 5 providers.
• MBLWHOI Library: Universal Biological Index and Organizer. uBio.org accessed July 17, 2008.
• The International Plant Names Index. Accessed Jan 19, 2007.
• USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL (April 27, 2008)
• USDA, NRCS. 2005. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 28, 2008:

• Comisión nacional para el conocimiento y uso de la biodiversidad: Herbario del Instituto de Ecología, A.C., México (IE-BAJÍO)
• Comisión nacional para el conocimiento y uso de la biodiversidad: Herbario del Instituto de Ecología, A.C., México (IE-XAL)
• Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (Costa Rica): Biodiversidad de Costa Rica
• Missouri Botanical Garden
• SysTax
• SysTax: Herbarium Universitat Ulm
• UNIBIO, IBUNAM: MEXU/Plantas Vasculares

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2670456
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-506487
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 293788
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:317828-1
• GRIN Nomen Number: 14191
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 506487
• International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 317828-1
• U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: DICO16
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 35658

Footnotes

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