Home | > | List of families | > | Dioscoreaceae | > | Dioscorea | > | asteriscus |
Synonyms: |
Dioscorea sativa sensu Rendle |
Common names: | |
Frequency: | |
Status: | Native |
Description: |
Hairless climber with left-twining, unarmed stems, growing from a short-lived, fleshy, spherical tuber, c. 10 cm in diameter. Bulbils usually present in axils, ovoid, 0.4 - 1 cm in diameter, lacking angles, dark purple or rarely red, yellow inside, tuberculate. Leaves alternate, entire, apex acuminate, up to 3 cm long but never thickened, flanges often present at petiole base as a pair of membranous projections which clasp stem, to c. 5 mm in diameter, usually pale green, sometimes translucent. Male inflorescences usually compound, flowers pedicellate, pointing outwards from the inflorescence axis; tepals recurved exposing the stamens, pale creamy green. Capsule oblong to oblong-elliptic in outline, 1.7 - 3 cm long. |
Notes: | See D. bulbifera for comparison. |
Derivation of specific name: | |
Habitat: | In forest and along forest margins, riverine forest and on termite mounds, on sandy or lateritic soils and sometimes in disturbed areas. |
Altitude range: | 500 - 1650 m |
Flowering time: | Jan - Apr |
Worldwide distribution: | Katanga DRC, CAR, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania,Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, northern Botswana and Caprivi Namibia. |
Malawi distribution: | S |
Growth form(s): | |
Endemic status: | |
Red data list status: | |
Insects associated with this species: | |
Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
Content last updated: | Friday 29 December 2017 |
Literature: |
Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 90. Milne-Redhead, E. (1975). Dioscoreaceae Flora of Tropical East Africa Page 9. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 121. Timberlake, J.R. & Childes, S.L. (2004). Biodiversity of the Four Corners Area: Technical Reviews Volume Two (Chapter 5-15) Appendix 5-1: Plant Checklist Occasional Publications in Biodiversity 15 Page 184. White, F., Dowsett-Lemaire, F. & Chapman, J.D. (2001). Evergreen forest flora of Malawi Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Page 96. Wilkin, P. (2001). Dioscoreaceae of South-Central Africa Kew Bulletin 56(2) Pages 375 - 376. (Includes a picture). Wilkin, P. (2009). Dioscoreaceae Flora Zambesiaca 12(2) Pages 116 - 117. (Includes a picture). |
Home | > | List of families | > | Dioscoreaceae | > | Dioscorea | > | asteriscus |