Dioscoreaceae
Yam Family
The Dioscoreaceae family (Yam Family) is a botanical family placed in the order Dioscoreales. In the SASYA catalogue it spans 7 species. Its members are predominantly climbers. Several members are valued in traditional medicine. Familiar examples include Greater yam, Arrowleaf Yam and Potato yam.
Browse all 7 species ↓
Heart-shaped or lobed leaves with net-like, not parallel, venation despite being a monocot, on twining climbers arising from a large underground tuber; tiny, inconspicuous, unisexual flowers on separate male and female vines ripen into a three-winged capsule.
One of the few monocot families with net-veined rather than parallel-veined leaves — an exception to the usual monocot/dicot leaf-vein rule that trips up many beginners.
Which Dioscoreaceae species is this?
Answer what you can see and narrow it down to a single Dioscoreaceae species.
To check whether a plant belongs to Dioscoreaceae, compare the leaf arrangement, leaf type, flower symmetry, fruit type, and one distinctive marker together. A single feature can mislead; the family pattern is the combination.
Learn the full family-identification methodNotable members
Families that can look similar
Burmanniaceae
Compare against Burmanniaceae when the plant shares similar leaves, flowers, or fruit. Confirm by checking the full family pattern.
Compare BurmanniaceaeTaccaceae
Compare against Taccaceae when the plant shares similar leaves, flowers, or fruit. Confirm by checking the full family pattern.
Compare TaccaceaeAll 7 species in DIOSCOREACEAE
- Greater Yam, Asiatic Yam, Yam, Water Yam, White YamDioscorea alata
- Arrowleaf YamDioscorea belophylla
- Potato Yam, Air Potato, Bulb Bearing YamDioscorea bulbifera
- Asiatic Bitter Yam, Intoxicating YamDioscorea hispida
- Indian YamDioscorea oppositifolia
- Fiji Yam, Kawan YamDioscorea pentaphylla
- Dioscorea tomentosa
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