1252.000 Dioscorea L. - Yams

Description of the genus

Twining dioecious herbs, sometimes bearing aerial tubers. Leaves alternate or opposite, simple or compound (3-7-digitate). Male inflorescences of axillary spikes or racemes, sometimes a terminal panicle. Female inflorescences of axillary spikes. Ovary 3-locular. Fruit a 3-lobed capsule. Seeds sometimes winged.

Worldwide: c. 850 species in tropical and warm regions

Rwanda: 6 taxa.

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Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesContent
alata L. Description, Image
asteriscus BurkillDescription, Image
bulbifera (L.) L.Description, Image
dumetorum (Kunth) PaxDescription, Image
praehensilis Benth.Description, Image
quartiniana Hochst. ex A. Rich.Description, Image

Other sources of information about Dioscorea:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Dioscorea
Flora of Burundi: Dioscorea
Flora of Caprivi: Dioscorea
Flora of the DRC: Dioscorea
Flora of Malawi: Dioscorea
Flora of Mozambique: Dioscorea
Flora of Zambia: Dioscorea
Flora of Zimbabwe: Dioscorea
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Dioscorea

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Dioscorea
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Dioscorea
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Dioscorea
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Dioscorea
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Dioscorea
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Dioscorea
JSTOR Plant Science: Dioscorea
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Dioscorea
Plants of the World Online: Dioscorea
Tropicos: Dioscorea
Wikipedia: Dioscorea

Copyright: The Rwanda flora team, 2024-25

The Rwanda flora team (2025). Flora of Rwanda: Genus page: Dioscorea.
https://www.rwandaflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=375, retrieved 5 December 2025

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