A New Species of Edible Yam (Dioscorea L.) from Western Madagascar

A New Species of Edible Yam (Dioscorea L.) from Western Madagascar

A new species of yam from Western Madagascar, Dioscorea sterilis O. Weber & Wilkin, is described and illustrated. It differs from D. trichantha Baker mainly in its torus shape (saucer-shaped versus flat and discoid in D. trichantha) and the presence of a sterile flower at the base of each cymule...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Kew bulletin 2005, Vol.60 (2), p.283-291
Main Authors: Odile Weber, Wilkin, Paul, Rakotonasolo, Franck
Format: Article
Language:eng
Subjects:
Boards of trustees
Botanical gardens
Bracts
Flowers
Inflorescences
Plant reproduction
Reproductive sterilization
Specimens
T tests
Taxa
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:A new species of yam from Western Madagascar, Dioscorea sterilis O. Weber & Wilkin, is described and illustrated. It differs from D. trichantha Baker mainly in its torus shape (saucer-shaped versus flat and discoid in D. trichantha) and the presence of a sterile flower at the base of each cymule of its male inflorescences. It grows mainly in deciduous forests on limestone. Dioscorea trichantha is lectotypified. The significance of torus shape for the systematics of Dioscorea in Madagascar is discussed.
ISSN:0075-5974
1874-933X