Dioscoreaceae
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Authority
Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.
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Family
Dioscoreaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Family Description - Fls trimerous, regular, epigynous, unisexual (the plants dioecious) or seldom perfect; tep in 2 similar sets of 3, petaloid or chaffy, mostly connate at base; both septal and tepalar nectaries commonly present; stamens usually 6 in 2 cycles, or the inner set staminodial or obsolete; filaments borne on the base of the perianth; ovary inferior, trilocular with axile placentation; styles or stigmas distinct; ovules mostly 2 per locule; fr mostly capsular; embryo small, with subterminal plumule and broad, lateral cotyledon, axially embedded in the very hard endosperm; twining-climbing or seldom erect herbs from a fleshy-thickened rhizome, or much more often from a large basal "tuber" of complex structure; lvs alternate or sometimes opposite or whorled, generally with a distinct blade and petiole, the blade broad, entire or less often palmately lobed or cleft or even compound, commonly with 3–13 "parallel," curved-convergent main veins and a network of smaller veins; vessels generally present in all vegetative organs; fls small, variously in racemes, spikes, or panicles. 6 genera, all but Dioscorea small.
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Common Names
The yam family