About Dioscoreaceae
Dioscoreaceae, the yam family, is a family of monocots placed in the order Dioscoreales under APG IV, with roughly 700 to 870 species; the number of genera ranges from 4 to 9 depending on the classification. It is distributed mainly in the tropics and extends into warm temperate regions. Most members are twining herbaceous vines with underground tubers or rhizomes, heart-shaped leaves and small unisexual flowers, and some species form aerial bulbils in the leaf axils. The family includes the edible yams (Dioscorea), and in horticulture the South African Dioscorea elephantipes is grown as a caudiciform succulent. Under APG the former family Taccaceae is included in Dioscoreaceae.
Dioscorea, the yams, is a genus of the family Dioscoreaceae with more than 600 species in tropical and warm temperate regions worldwide. They are twining herbaceous vines with underground tubers, heart-shaped leaves and small flowers, and most species are dioecious; some produce aerial bulbils in the leaf axils. The genus includes edible yams such as D. japonica and D. polystachya, while the raw tubers of many species are toxic. In horticulture the South African D. elephantipes, with its cracked, tortoise-shell caudex, is grown as a winter-growing caudiciform succulent.
Scientific Name
Dioscoreaceae