Dioscorea 601907 225912383 2008-07-15T23:57:08Z John Moss 1678292 D.transversa addition {{Taxobox | name = ''Dioscorea'' | image = Dioscorea balcanica BotGardBln310505.jpg | image_width = 240px | image_caption = ''Dioscorea balcanica'' | regnum = [[Plant]]ae | divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]] | classis = [[Liliopsida]] | ordo = [[Dioscoreales]] | familia = [[Dioscoreaceae]] | genus = ''Dioscorea'' | genus_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]] | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = See text }} '''''Dioscorea''''' is a genus of over 600 species of [[flowering plant]]s 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 [[tuber]]ous [[herbaceous]] [[perennial plant|perennial]] [[liana]]s, growing to 2-12 m or more tall. The [[leaf|leaves]] are spirally arranged, mostly broad heart-shaped. The [[flower]]s are individually inconspicuous, greenish-yellow, with six petals; they are mostly [[plant sexuality|dioecious]], with separate male and female plants, though a few species are [[plant sexuality|monoecious]], with male and female flowers on the same plant. The [[fruit]] is a [[capsule (fruit)|capsule]] in most species, a soft [[berry]] in a few species. Several species, known as [[Yam (vegetable)|yams]], are important [[agriculture|agricultural]] crops in tropical regions, grown for their large tubers. Many of these are toxic when fresh, but can be detoxified and eaten, and are particularly important in parts of [[Africa]], [[Asia]], and [[Oceania]] (see [[Yam (vegetable)|yam]] article). ;Selected species {| |- valign=top | *''[[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 hastifolia]]'' *''[[Dioscorea hemsleyi]]'' *''[[Dioscorea hispida]]'' | *''[[Dioscorea japonica]]'' *''[[Dioscorea kamoonensis]]'' *''[[Dioscorea linearicordata]]'' *''[[Dioscorea martini]]'' *''[[Dioscorea melanophyma]]'' Burkill & Prain *''[[Dioscorea menglaensis]]'' *''[[Dioscorea mexicana]]'' *''[[Dioscorea nipponica]]'' *''[[Dioscorea nitens]]'' *''[[Dioscorea opposita]]'' *''[[Dioscorea panthaica]]'' *''[[Dioscorea pentaphylla]]'' *''[[Dioscorea persimilis]]'' *''[[Dioscorea poilanei]]'' *''[[Dioscorea polygonoides]]'' *''[[Dioscorea polystachya]]'' Turczaninow *''[[Dioscorea preussii]]'' *''[[Dioscorea quinqueloba ]]'' *''[[Dioscorea rotundata]]'' *''[[Dioscorea sansibarensis]]'' Pax *''[[Dioscorea scortechinii]]'' *''[[Dioscorea simulans]]'' *''[[Dioscorea sinoparviflora]]'' *''[[Dioscorea spongiosa]]'' *''[[Dioscorea subcalva]]'' *''[[Dioscorea tentaculigera]]'' *''[[Dioscorea tenuipes]]'' *''[[Dioscorea tokoro]]'' *''[[Dioscorea transversa]]'' *''[[Dioscorea trifida]]'' *''[[Dioscorea velutipes]]'' *''[[Dioscorea villosa]]'' L. *''[[Dioscorea wallichii]]'' *''[[Dioscorea xizangensis]]'' *''[[Dioscorea yunnanensis]]'' *''[[Dioscorea zingiberensis]]'' |} The closely related genus ''[[Tamus]]'' is included in ''Dioscorea'' by some botanists; for ''Dioscorea communis'' (L.) Caddick & Wilkin, see ''[[Tamus communis]]'' . ==References== *[http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&GENUS_XREF=Dioscorea&SPECIES_XREF=&TAXON_NAME_XREF=&RANK= Flora Europaea: ''Dioscorea''] *[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=110295 Flora of China: ''Dioscorea''] *[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=110295 Flora of North America: ''Dioscorea''] *[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=110295 Flora of Pakistan: ''Dioscorea''] *[http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=DIOSC USDA Plant Profile: ''Dioscorea''] ==See also== [[Yam (vegetable)|Yams]] [[Category:Dioscoreales]] [[cs:Jam]] [[es:Dioscorea]] [[lt:DioskorÄ—ja]] [[nl:Dioscorea]]