Edit History
DIOSCOREA bulbifera L. [family DIOSCOREACEAE]
Date Updated: 19 August 2007
Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Flora of Tropical East Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of Tropical East Africa, page 1, (1975) Author: E. MILNE-REDHEAD
Names
DIOSCOREA bulbifera L. [family DIOSCOREACEAE], ,Sp. Pl.: 1033 (1753); Harms in P.O.A. C: 146 (1895); R. Knuth in E.P. IV. 43: 88, fig. 19/F–L (1924); F.W.T.A. 2: 382, fig. 315 (1936); Burkill in B.J.B.B. 15: 357 (1939); Burkill & Perrier in Fl. Madag.44: 24 (1950); Verdc. & Trump, Common Poisonous Pl. E. Afr.: 196, fig. 20/d (1969). Lectotype: plate facing p. 217 in Hermann, Paradisus Batavus (1698); no specimen in Hermann Herbarium
DIOSCOREA sativa Thunb. [family DIOSCOREACEAE], Fl. Jap.: 151 (1784); Bak. in F.T.A. 7: 415 (1898), non L. (1753)
DIOSCOREA bulbifera Prain var. sativa [family DIOSCOREACEAE], Bengal Pl.: 1066 (1903) & ed. 2: 801 (1963)
Information
Tuber perennial, usually irregularly subglobose, but occasionally elongate, and sometimes absent. Plant glabrous or the leaf-blade inconspicuously puberulous at the base beneath. Twining stems up to 12 m. long. Leaves as in 3, D. asteriscus. Aerial tubers irregularly subglobose or markedly angular, up to 7 cm. in diameter, brown. Inflorescences as in D. asteriscus, except that the ♂ flowers are sessile and directed downwards, towards apex of inflorescence. Perianth lobes of ♂ flower not spreading; tepals lanceolate, up to 2 mm. long. Perianth lobes of ♀ flower directed towards apex of inflorescence, up to 2 mm. long. Capsule and seeds similar to those of D. asteriscus, but capsule only 2 cm. long and 1.2 cm. in diameter.
Notes
D. bulbifera is the most widespread species of the genus, extending through tropical Africa and Asia to the remotest Pacific islands. It has been in cultivation in Asia and Africa for thousands of years and many ennobled races (cultivars) exist in Asia (see Prain & Burkill in Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. Calc. 14: 111–132 (1936)). The best-known Asiatic race is known as var. sativa, whilst in Africa a different edible race with angular aerial tubers has been evolved, known as var. anthropophagorum. This has been introduced to tropical America.Unfortunately in the absence of knowledge of the aerial tubers, and of the presence or absence of terrestrial tubers, it is not possible to distinguish the cultivated variety from the typical wild variety (var. bulbifera) and many gatherings in herbaria cannot be satisfactorily determined. As a result the distributions given above are very incomplete. An added complication is that, in the sterile state, it is not possible to distinguish var. bulbifera from the closely allied D. asteriscus Burkill, which is apparently more frequent than D. bulbifera in eastern Africa.
Date Updated: 19 August 2007
Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Flora of Tropical East Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of Tropical East Africa, page 1, (1975) Author: E. MILNE-REDHEAD
Names
DIOSCOREA bulbifera L. [family DIOSCOREACEAE], ,Sp. Pl.: 1033 (1753); Harms in P.O.A. C: 146 (1895); R. Knuth in E.P. IV. 43: 88, fig. 19/F–L (1924); F.W.T.A. 2: 382, fig. 315 (1936); Burkill in B.J.B.B. 15: 357 (1939); Burkill & Perrier in Fl. Madag.44: 24 (1950); Verdc. & Trump, Common Poisonous Pl. E. Afr.: 196, fig. 20/d (1969). Lectotype: plate facing p. 217 in Hermann, Paradisus Batavus (1698); no specimen in Hermann Herbarium
DIOSCOREA sativa Thunb. [family DIOSCOREACEAE], Fl. Jap.: 151 (1784); Bak. in F.T.A. 7: 415 (1898), non L. (1753)
DIOSCOREA bulbifera Prain var. sativa [family DIOSCOREACEAE], Bengal Pl.: 1066 (1903) & ed. 2: 801 (1963)
Information
Tuber perennial, usually irregularly subglobose, but occasionally elongate, and sometimes absent. Plant glabrous or the leaf-blade inconspicuously puberulous at the base beneath. Twining stems up to 12 m. long. Leaves as in 3, D. asteriscus. Aerial tubers irregularly subglobose or markedly angular, up to 7 cm. in diameter, brown. Inflorescences as in D. asteriscus, except that the ♂ flowers are sessile and directed downwards, towards apex of inflorescence. Perianth lobes of ♂ flower not spreading; tepals lanceolate, up to 2 mm. long. Perianth lobes of ♀ flower directed towards apex of inflorescence, up to 2 mm. long. Capsule and seeds similar to those of D. asteriscus, but capsule only 2 cm. long and 1.2 cm. in diameter.
Notes
D. bulbifera is the most widespread species of the genus, extending through tropical Africa and Asia to the remotest Pacific islands. It has been in cultivation in Asia and Africa for thousands of years and many ennobled races (cultivars) exist in Asia (see Prain & Burkill in Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. Calc. 14: 111–132 (1936)). The best-known Asiatic race is known as var. sativa, whilst in Africa a different edible race with angular aerial tubers has been evolved, known as var. anthropophagorum. This has been introduced to tropical America.Unfortunately in the absence of knowledge of the aerial tubers, and of the presence or absence of terrestrial tubers, it is not possible to distinguish the cultivated variety from the typical wild variety (var. bulbifera) and many gatherings in herbaria cannot be satisfactorily determined. As a result the distributions given above are very incomplete. An added complication is that, in the sterile state, it is not possible to distinguish var. bulbifera from the closely allied D. asteriscus Burkill, which is apparently more frequent than D. bulbifera in eastern Africa.
Date Updated: 19 August 2007
Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Flora of Tropical East Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of Tropical East Africa, page 1, (1975) Author: E. MILNE-REDHEAD
Names
DIOSCOREA bulbifera L. [family DIOSCOREACEAE], ,Sp. Pl.: 1033 (1753); Harms in P.O.A. C: 146 (1895); R. Knuth in E.P. IV. 43: 88, fig. 19/F–L (1924); F.W.T.A. 2: 382, fig. 315 (1936); Burkill in B.J.B.B. 15: 357 (1939); Burkill & Perrier in Fl. Madag.44: 24 (1950); Verdc. & Trump, Common Poisonous Pl. E. Afr.: 196, fig. 20/d (1969). Lectotype: plate facing p. 217 in Hermann, Paradisus Batavus (1698); no specimen in Hermann Herbarium
DIOSCOREA sativa Thunb. [family DIOSCOREACEAE], Fl. Jap.: 151 (1784); Bak. in F.T.A. 7: 415 (1898), non L. (1753)
DIOSCOREA bulbifera Prain var. sativa [family DIOSCOREACEAE], Bengal Pl.: 1066 (1903) & ed. 2: 801 (1963)
Information
Tuber perennial, usually irregularly subglobose, but occasionally elongate, and sometimes absent. Plant glabrous or the leaf-blade inconspicuously puberulous at the base beneath. Twining stems up to 12 m. long. Leaves as in 3, D. asteriscus. Aerial tubers irregularly subglobose or markedly angular, up to 7 cm. in diameter, brown. Inflorescences as in D. asteriscus, except that the ♂ flowers are sessile and directed downwards, towards apex of inflorescence. Perianth lobes of ♂ flower not spreading; tepals lanceolate, up to 2 mm. long. Perianth lobes of ♀ flower directed towards apex of inflorescence, up to 2 mm. long. Capsule and seeds similar to those of D. asteriscus, but capsule only 2 cm. long and 1.2 cm. in diameter.
Notes
D. bulbifera is the most widespread species of the genus, extending through tropical Africa and Asia to the remotest Pacific islands. It has been in cultivation in Asia and Africa for thousands of years and many ennobled races (cultivars) exist in Asia (see Prain & Burkill in Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. Calc. 14: 111–132 (1936)). The best-known Asiatic race is known as var. sativa, whilst in Africa a different edible race with angular aerial tubers has been evolved, known as var. anthropophagorum. This has been introduced to tropical America.Unfortunately in the absence of knowledge of the aerial tubers, and of the presence or absence of terrestrial tubers, it is not possible to distinguish the cultivated variety from the typical wild variety (var. bulbifera) and many gatherings in herbaria cannot be satisfactorily determined. As a result the distributions given above are very incomplete. An added complication is that, in the sterile state, it is not possible to distinguish var. bulbifera from the closely allied D. asteriscus Burkill, which is apparently more frequent than D. bulbifera in eastern Africa.
![DIOSCOREA bulbifera L. [family DIOSCOREACEAE]](/fsi/img/misc/plants/static_thumbs/flora_tropEA_icon96.jpg)
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