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.

Mozambique: 2 genera and 18 taxa.

No image yet

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 Malawi: Dioscoreaceae
Flora of Zambia: Dioscoreaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: Dioscoreaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Dioscoreaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Dioscoreaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
GRIN (Germplasm Resources Information Network) taxonomy for plants report for Dioscoreaceae
Wikipedia: Dioscoreaceae


Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave 2007-23

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2023). Flora of Mozambique: Family page: Dioscoreaceae.
https://www.mozambiqueflora.com/speciesdata/family.php?family_id=73, retrieved 21 March 2023

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