Dioscoreaceae
Dioscorea

Dioscorea smilacifolia De Wild. & T.Durand

First published in Ann. Mus. Congo Belge, Bot., sér. 2, 1(1): 58 (1899)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Tropical Africa to Uganda and Angola. It is a climbing tuberous geophyte and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Dioscoreaceae, J. Miège. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:1. 1968

Morphology General Habit
Perennial climber with spiny stems 12 ft. high
Morphology Leaves
Trinerved ovate leaves.
[FWTA]

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

Morphology General Habit
Tuber probably replaced annually, shape and armament not recorded.
Morphology Stem
Twining stems with scattered prickles below.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves opposite or alternate, glabrous; petiole up to 7 cm. long; blade ovate, elliptic or rarely suborbicular, rounded at the base, broadly and shortly acuminate, conspicuously 3-nerved with the lateral nerves running near the margin, up to 9(–13) cm. long and 6(–10) cm. broad.
Vegetative Multiplication Tubers
Aerial tubers not observed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Male spicate, up to 7 cm. long, arising up to 6 in the axils of leaves or leafless nodes on terminal or lateral branches up to 40 cm. long; perianth subglobose, ± 1.5 mm. in diameter. Female 1 per leaf-axil, up to 40 cm. long, often much shorter; perianth semi-globose, ± 1.5 mm. in diameter. Ovary glabrous.
sex Male
Male spicate, up to 7 cm. long, arising up to 6 in the axils of leaves or leafless nodes on terminal or lateral branches up to 40 cm. long; perianth subglobose, ± 1.5 mm. in diameter.
sex Female
Female 1 per leaf-axil, up to 40 cm. long, often much shorter; perianth semi-globose, ± 1.5 mm. in diameter. Ovary glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule as 6, D. odoratissima, up to 3.5 cm. in diameter.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds winged all round.
Habitat
Lowland rain-forest; 1200 m.
Distribution
U4 Zaire, Angola (Zaire), Cameroun, Fernando Po and westwards to Sierra Leone
[FTEA]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/20745709/20755946

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Sources

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

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

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical 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/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0