Botanical Family · Dioscoreales

Dioscoreaceae

Yam Family

7 speciesOrder Dioscoreales6+ well-known plants

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 ↓

Representative specimen · Dioscoreaceae

Key pattern

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.

Identify the species

Which Dioscoreaceae species is this?

Answer what you can see and narrow it down to a single Dioscoreaceae species.

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Leaf ShapeWhat is the overall shape of the leaf blade?

Cordate (heart-shaped)

Palmately compound (leaflets radiate from one point)

Sagittate (arrowhead-shaped)

Trifoliate (three leaflets)

ArmatureDoes the stem have wings, hair, or other texture?

Unarmed

Winged, angled stem

Woolly hairy stem

Notable members

Greater Yam, Asiatic Yam, Yam, Water Yam, White YamDioscorea alataArrowleaf YamDioscorea belophyllaPotato Yam, Air Potato, Bulb Bearing YamDioscorea bulbiferaAsiatic Bitter Yam, Intoxicating YamDioscorea hispidaIndian YamDioscorea oppositifoliaFiji Yam, Kawan YamDioscorea pentaphylla

All 7 species in DIOSCOREACEAE

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