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| Family : DIOSCOREACEAE |
Protologue : Sp. Pl. 2: 1033 (1753)  |
| Information on the genus : Dioscorea |
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Status
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| Status for TA : | accepted (present) |
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| Synonym(s) Homotypic |
 Helmia bulbifera (L.) Kunth |
| Polynome bulbifera (L.) Salisb. |
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| Synonym(s) Heterotypic |
| =Dioscorea latifolia var. anthropophagorum A. Chev. |
| =*Dioscorea anthropophagorum A. Chev. (1913) |
| =Dioscorea bulbifera var. anthropophagorum (A. Chev. ex Jum.) Prain & Burkill ex Summerh. (1931) (MA = accepted; TA = rejected) |
| =Dioscorea bulbifera var. sativa Prain |
| =Dioscorea hoffa Cordem. (1895) |
| =Dioscorea hofika Jum. & H. Perrier |
| =Dioscorea latifolia Benth. (1849) |
| =Dioscorea latifolia var. longipetiolata (Baudon) A. Chev. |
| =Dioscorea longipetiolata Baudon (1913) |
| =Dioscorea perrieri R. Knuth (1924) |
| =Dioscorea sylvestris De Wild. |
| =Dioscorea zara var. var. violacea (Baudon) A. Chev. |
| =Dioscorea violacea Baudon (1913) |
| =Dioscorea sativa Thunb. non L. |
| =Dioscorea crispata Roxb. |
| =Dioscorea heterophylla Roxb. |
| =Dioscorea korrorensis R. Knuth |
| =Dioscorea pulchella Roxb. |
| =Dioscorea rogersii Prain & Burkill |
| =Dioscorea sativa var. elongata F. M. Bailey |
| =Dioscorea sativa var. rotunda F. M. Bailey |
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| Taxon infra-specific |
| Dioscorea bulbifera var. anthropophagorum (A. Chev. ex Jum.) Prain & Burkill ex Summerh. (1931) |
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| Ecology and distribution |
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| Biology : |
Vigorous vine with annual stems 3-12 m long, leaft-twining, terete, unarmed, glabrous; tuber perennial, irregularly ovoid to subglobose, occasionally elongate, sometimes absent; leaves as in D. asteriscus, alternate, petiole to 8 cm long, blade to 14-18 cm long and broad, often much smaller; aerial axillary bulbils subglobose to ovoid, 0,6-3 cm Ø, rounded, poisonous (var. bulbifera, i.e. non-cultivated forms), or angular, flattened, to 10 cm long, brown, edible (var. anthropophagorum, i.e. cultivated forms); inflorescences as in D. asteriscus, simple or compound, except that flowers are sessile, turned toward inflorescence apex in both genders; male flower tepals (sub)erect, 2 mm long, pale pink; female flower ovary not restricted just below perianth; capsule only 1-2,2(-3)x0,1-1,5 cm; seed winged at basal end. – Not possible to distinguish from D. asteriscus in the sterile state. |
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| Ecology : |
Rain-forest; secondary evergreen bushland; steep slopes in broad-leaved riverine forest and forest edges; persisting in abandoned cultivated ground and by perennial rivers; mopane woodland; swamp sides; sand; forest regrowths; secondary forests; savanna; forest gallery; seasonally flooded sedge meadow; fallows; 0-1500 m alt. |
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Domesticated in Africa. However, male material is very rare in or absent from collections in Africa, female races are perhaps preferred in cultivation |
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The most widespread Dioscorea species: tropical Africa, extending from W Africa throughout along the coast and penetrating inland along migration and trade and travel routes; also in Asia to Polynesia. |
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Bibliography for Tropical Africa :
- Darbyshire, I. Kordofami, M. & al. (2015). The plants of Sudan and south Sudan, An annoted checklist. Kew Publishing
Bibliography for Southern Africa :
- Food plants of Zimbabwe : 8 (1986).
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| More info on : |
| see under Jstor_African Plant Initiative |
| see under chg |
| see under Fgui |
| see under The International Plant Name Index |
| see under The International Plant Name Index |
| see under The International Plant Name Index |
| see under African Plants - a Photo Guide |
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| Map |
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| Record n°11233 |
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