Family:
Dioscoreaceae R.Br.
Genus:
Dioscorea Plum. ex L.

Dioscorea baya De Wild.

This species is accepted, and its native range is Tropical Africa.

[FTEA]

Dioscoreaceae, E. Milne-Redhead. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1975

Morphology General Habit
Tuber probably replaced annually, shape not recorded, protected by thorny roots.
Morphology Stem
Stems with prickles below, up to 27 m. high.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves opposite or alternate, glabrous; petiole up to 6 cm. long; blade ovate or elliptic, rounded at the base, broadly and shortly acuminate, 3–5-nerved with the 2 primary nerves not running near the margin, up to 6(–9) cm. long and 4.5(–6) cm. broad.
Vegetative Multiplication Tubers
Aerial tubers not observed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences glabrous.
sex Male
Male spicate up to 4 cm. long with the flowers usually densely arranged and early caducous, arising up to 7 in the axils of leaves or more rarely at leafless node on terminal or lateral branches up to 15 cm. long; perianth subglobose, scarious, ± 1 mm. in diameter.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Female 1 per leaf-axil, up to 17 cm. long; perianth semi-globose, ± 1.5 mm. in diameter; tepals coriaceous. Ovary glabrous. Male spicate up to 4 cm. long with the flowers usually densely arranged and early caducous, arising up to 7 in the axils of leaves or more rarely at leafless node on terminal or lateral branches up to 15 cm. long; perianth subglobose, scarious, ± 1 mm. in diameter.
sex Female
Female 1 per leaf-axil, up to 17 cm. long; perianth semi-globose, ± 1.5 mm. in diameter; tepals coriaceous. Ovary glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule as 6, D. odoratissima, up to 3.8 cm. in diameter.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds winged all round.
Habitat
Lowland rain-forest; 1150–1200 m.
Distribution
U4

Native to:

Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Repu, Congo, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Uganda, Zambia, Zaïre

Dioscorea baya De Wild. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status
Germain, R.G.A. [8124], Congo, DRC K000809784
Harley, W.J. [573], Liberia K001146040
Louis [9649], Congo, DRC K001146500
Klaine, R.P. [3234], Gabon K001146493
Eggeling, W.J. [160], Uganda K000809965
Holmes, W.D. [H1250], Zambia K001148288
Wilde, J.J.F.E. de [8228], Cameroon K000809782
Robyns, F.H.E.A.W. [4260], Congo, DRC K000809788
Callens, H. [3923], Congo, DRC K001146497
Louis [9649], Congo, DRC K000809785
Louis [6684], Congo, DRC K000809981
Louis [10250], Congo, DRC K000809787
Louis, J.L.P. [12173], Congo, DRC K001146499
Dümmer, R. [859], Uganda K001147447
Louis [12173], Congo, DRC K001146501
Germain, R.G.A. [8439], Congo, DRC K001146494
Leeuwenberg, A.J.M. [9808], Cameroon K000809996
Harris, D.J. [1193], Central African Republic K000809783
Louis [4053], Congo, DRC K000809979
s.coll [3923], Congo, DRC K001146496
Thomas, N.W. [2796], Sierra Leone K000809780
Louis [9667], Congo, DRC K000809980
s.coll [2173], Uganda K001147451
Lebrun [5746], Congo, DRC K001146498
s.coll [1616] K001147448
Eggeling, W.G. [372], Uganda K001147449
Dubois, L. [985], Congo, DRC K000809786
Leonard [399], Congo, DRC K001146502
s.coll [2173] K001147450
Staner [1338], Congo, DRC K001146495

First published in Ann. Mus. Congo Belge, Bot., sér. 5, 3: 357 (1912)

Accepted by

  • Govaerts, R. (2000). World Checklist of Seed Plants Database in ACCESS D: 1-30141.
  • Govaerts, R., Wilkin, P. & Saunders, R.M.K. (2007). World Checklist of Dioscoreales. Yams and their allies: 1-65. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Lejoy, J., Ndjele, M.-B. & Geerinck, D. (2010). Catalogue-flore des plantes vasculaires des districts de Kisangani et de la Tshopo (RD Congo) Taxonomania. Revue de Taxonomie et de Nomenclature Botaniques 30: 1-307.
  • Sosef, M.S.M. & al. (2006). Check-list des plantes vasculaires du Gabon Scripta Botanica Belgica 35: 1-438.
  • Timberlake, J.R. & Martins, E.S. (eds.) (2009). Flora Zambesiaca 12(2): 1-208. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Literature

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Sosef, M.S.M. & al. (2006). Check-list des plantes vasculaires du Gabon Scripta Botanica Belgica 35: 1-438.

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • Burkill in Bulletin du Jardin Botanique de l'État a Bruxelles 15: 391 (1939).
  • De Wild. in Ann. Mus. Congo, Bot., sér. 5, 3: 357, t. 52 (1912).
  • R. Knuth in A. Engler, Das Pflanzenreich IV. 43: 301 (1924).

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    Flora of Tropical East Africa
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0