Belongs within: Dioscoreales.
The Dioscoreaceae is a pantropical family mostly composed of tuberous vines, some species of which (in the genus Dioscorea) are grown as food plants. The Polynesian arrowroot Tacca leontopetaloides is cultivated in the Indo-Pacific region. Black bryony Tamus communis is a widespread plant of the forest understory in the Mediterranean and adjoining regions.
Characters (from L. Raz): Vines (sometimes herbs), geophytes perennating from fleshy rhizomes or tubers. Stems renewed annually or occasionally persisting for more than a single growing season, twining-climbing, procumbent, or seldom erect; vascular bundles commonly arranged in 2 concentric circles. Leaves alternate, opposite, or whorled at basal nodes; blades simple or occasionally digitately compound, typically cordate, reticulate-veined; principal veins arcuate, ascending from base to apex; margins entire or sometimes palmately lobed; stipules absent, rarely stipulate, never with tendrils; petioles typically with distinct pulvinus at each end. Inflorescences axillary, solitary or in fascicles of 2–7, branched and paniculate, or unbranched and spicate or racemose, ultimate inflorescence unit cymose, sessile or pedunculate, often reduced to 1 flower. Flowers unisexual, staminate and pistillate flowers on different plants, rarely staminate and pistillate flowers on same plant or bisexual; perianth epigynous, rotate, campanulate, or funnelform; tepals 6, petaloid, in 2 similar whorls of 3, connate at least basally; stamens 6, in 2 whorls of 3, inner whorl sometimes sterile or absent; filaments distinct (sometimes connate basally or completely into tube), inserted at base of perianth; anthers 2-locular, tetrasporangiate, dehiscing by longitudinal slits, thecae distinct or sometimes connate, rarely divided by a long-appendiculate connective; pistils 3; ovary (1–)3-locular, ovules anatropous, 2(–many) per locule, placentation axile or parietal; styles 3, ± distinct. Fruits capsular, rarely baccate or samarate, dehiscence loculicidal. Seeds flattened or globose, winged or unwinged, embryo small, endosperm copious, starchless.
<==Dioscoreaceae [Avetraceae, Stenomeridaceae, Tamaceae, Tamnaceae, Trichopodaceae]EN20 | i. s.: Dioscoroides lyelli (Watelet) Fritel 1904CBH93 | Prototamus paucinervis Langeron 1899CBH93 | Avetra sempervirensDS04 |--StenomerisEN20 `--+--Taccaceae [Taccales]EN20 | |--TaccaEN20 | | |--T. chantrieriDS04 | | |--T. integrifolia [incl. T. cristata]P88 | | |--T. leontopetaloidesP88 | | |--T. maculataVT13 | | |--T. parkeriDS04 | | `--T. pennatifidaBMM99 | `--Ataccia cristataT-W89 `--+--Trichopus zeylanicusEN20, DS04 | |--T. z. var. zeylanicusUB06 | `--T. z. var. travncoricusUB06 `--Dioscorea Linné 1753 (see below for synonymy)EN20 | i. s.: *D. sativa Linné 1753EN20 | D. aculeataC55 | D. alata [=*Polynome alata]EN20 | D. basiclavicaulis Rizzini & Mattos-Filho 1986EN20 | D. batatasEN20 | D. belophyllaHU08 | D. bulbiferaVT13 | D. cirrhosa [=*Strophis cirrhosa]EN20 | ‘*Tamus’ communis Linné 1753EN20 | |--T. c. ssp. communisPT98 | `--T. c. ssp. creticaPT98 | D. cotinifoliaEN20 | D. decaryanaWA08 | D. deltoidesC55 | ‘*Sismondea’ dioscoreoides Delponte 1854EN20 | ‘*Helmia’ dregeana Kunth 1850EN20 | D. eburnea [=*Elephantodon eburnea]EN20 | D. elephantipes (L’Héritier) Engler 1908 (see below for synonymy)EN20 | ‘*Oncus’ esculentus Loureiro 1790 [=*Oncorhiza esculenta]EN20 | D. fastigiata Gay 1853 (see below for synonymy)EN20 | D. floribundaEN20 | D. glabraP03 | D. hamiltoniiSR07 | ‘*Rajania’ hastata Linné 1753EN20 | D. hastifoliaK90 | D. hemicrypta Burkill 1952 [incl. Testudinaria glauca (nom. inv.)]EN20 | D. hispidaP03 | D. hombukaWA08 | D. humilis [=*Epipetrum humile]EN20 | D. kimiae Wilkin in Wilkin, Andrianantenaina et al. 2008WA08 | D. mayottensisWA08 | D. mexicana Scheidweiler 1837 (see below for synonymy)EN20 | D. nummulariaH03 | ‘Rajania’ ovataJ87 | D. pentaphyllaP03 [=*Botryosicyos pentaphyllus Hochstetter 1844EN20] | ‘*Peripetasma’ polyanthum Ridley 1920EN20 | D. polygonoidesDS04 | ‘*Borderea’ pyrenaica Miégeville 1866EN20 | ‘*Ubium’ quadrifariumEN20 | D. remotifloraEN20 | D. retusaDS04 | D. sambiranensisWA08 | D. sinuataEN20 | D. spiculiflora [incl. D. macrostachya var. sessiliflora, D. mexicana var. sessiliflora]EN20 | D. sterilisWA08 | D. strydomiana Wilkin 2010EN20 | D. sylvatica Ecklon 1830 (see below for synonymy)EN20 | |--D. s. var. sylvatica (see below for synonymy)EN20 | |--D. s. var. brevipes (Burtt Davy) Burkill 1952 (see below for synonymy)EN20 | |--D. s. var. multiflora (Marloth) Burkill 1952 (see below for synonymy)EN20 | |--D. s. var. paniculata (Dümmer) Burkill 1952 (see below for synonymy)EN20 | `--D. s. var. rehmannii (Baker) Burkill 1952 (see below for synonymy)EN20 | ‘*Higinbothamia’ synandra Uline 1899EN20 | ‘*Nanarepenta’ tolucana Matuda 1962EN20 | D. transversaVT13 | D. triphylla [=*Hamatris triphylla]EN20 | D. villosa [=*Merione villosa]EN20 |--D. sect. CampanulifloraeWA08 | |--D. acuminata Baker 1885 [incl. D. bararum Perrier 1928]WA08 | |--D. maciba Jum. & Perrier 1910WA08 | `--D. madecassa Perrier 1928 [incl. D. karatana Wilkin in Wilkin et al. 2000, D. knuthii Perrier 1928]WA08 `--D. sect. SerifloraeWA08 |--D. seriflora Jum. & Perrier 1910 (see below for synonymy)WA08 `--D. tsaratananensis Perrier 1928WA08
Dioscorea Linné 1753 [incl. Borderea Miégeville 1866, Botryosicyos Hochstetter 1844, Elephantodon Salisbury 1866, Epipetrum Philippi 1862, Hamatris Salisbury 1866, Helmia Kunth 1850, Higinbothamia Uline 1899, Merione Salisbury 1866, Nanarepenta Matuda 1962, Oncorhiza Persoon 1805 (nom. illeg.), Oncus Loureiro 1790, Peripetasma Ridley 1920, Polynome Salisbury 1866, Rajania Linné 1753, Rhizemys Rafinesque 1836 (nom. illeg.), Sismondaea Delponte 1854, Strophis Salisbury 1866, Tamus Linné 1753, Testudinaria Salisbury ex Burchell 1824, Ubium Cothenius 1790]EN20
Dioscorea elephantipes (L’Héritier) Engler 1908 [=Tamus elephantipes L’Héritier 1788, *Rhizemys elephantipes, *Testudinaria elephantipes (L’Héritier) Lindley 1825; incl. Dioscorea elephantopus Sprengel 1827, Te. montana Burchell 1824, Te. elephantipes f. montana (Burchell) Rowley 1973, Te. elephantipes var. montana (Burchell) Rowley 1953]EN20
Dioscorea fastigiata Gay 1853 [incl. D. axilliflora Philippi 1896, D. cylindrostachya Johnston 1929, D. gayi Philippi 1896, D. geissei Philippi 1896, D. paupera Philippi 1896, D. thinophila Philippi 1896]EN20
Dioscorea mexicana Scheidweiler 1837 [incl. D. astrostigma Uline 1896, D. billbergiana Kunth 1850, Testudinaria cocolmeca Procopp 1892, D. composita Hemsley 1884, D. deamii Matuda 1953, D. deppei Schiede ex Schlechtendal 1843, D. leiboldiana Kunth 1850, D. macrophylla Martius & Galeotti 1842, D. macrostachya Bentham 1841, Testudinaria macrostachya (Bentham) Rowley 1973, D. palmeri Knuth 1917, D. macrostachya var. palmeri (Knuth) Morton 1936, D. tuerckheimii Knuth 1917]EN20
Dioscorea seriflora Jum. & Perrier 1910 [incl. D. ovifotsy Perrier 1928, D. porosa Boivin ms, D. tanalarum Perrier 1928]WA08
Dioscorea sylvatica Ecklon 1830 [=Testudinaria sylvatica (Ecklon) Kunth 1850; incl. D. montana var. lobata Weimarck 1937, D. montana Ecklon & Zeyher ex Knuth 1924, D. montana var. sagittata Suessenguth 1951, D. silvatica (nom. inv.), Testudinaria sylvestris Hort. Berol. ex Kunth 1850 (nom. illeg.)]EN20
Dioscorea sylvatica var. brevipes (Burtt Davy) Burkill 1952 [=D. brevipes Burtt Davy 1924, Testudinaria paniculata var. brevipes (Burtt Davy) Rowley 1935, T. sylvatica var. brevipes (Burtt Davy) Rowley 1973; incl. Dioscorea sylvatica ssp. lydenbergensis Blunden et al. 1971, T. sylvatica var. lydenbergensis (Blunden et al.) Rowley 1974]EN20
Dioscorea sylvatica var. multiflora (Marloth) Burkill 1952 [=Testudinaria multiflora Marloth 1913, T. sylvatica var. multiflora (Marloth) Rowley 1973; incl. Dioscorea marlothii Knuth 1924]EN20
Dioscorea sylvatica var. paniculata (Dümmer) Burkill 1952 [=Testudinaria paniculata Dümmer 1912, T. sylvatica var. paniculata (Dümmer) Rowley 1973, T. montana var. paniculata Kuntze 1898, Dioscorea montana var. paniculata (Kuntze) Knuth 1924, D. paniculata Dümmer 1912; incl. D. montana var. duemmeri Knuth 1924]EN20
Dioscorea sylvatica var. rehmannii (Baker) Burkill 1952 [=D. rehmannii Baker 1896, Testudinaria rehmannii (Baker) Rowley 1953, T. sylvatica var. rehmannii (Baker) Rowley 1973]EN20
Dioscorea sylvatica Ecklon 1830 var. sylvatica [incl. D. montana var. glauca Knuth 1924, D. hederifolia Grisebach 1842, Tamus sylvestris Kunth 1850]EN20
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
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