Family:: Dioscoreaceae R.Br.

Dioscorea Plum. ex L.

This genus is accepted, and its native range is Cosmopolitan.

[FTEA]

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

Morphology General Habit: Twining dioecious pubescent or glabrous herbs
Morphology Stem: Stems annual, arising from tubers, often prickly especially below
Morphology Leaves: Leaves alternate or opposite, petiolate, often ovate-cordate, usually entire, sometimes deeply or shallowly lobed, occasionally compound with 3–7 leaflets; main nerves of entire leaves conspicuous, digitate, tertiary nervation reticulate
Vegetative Multiplication Tubers: Aerial tubers sometimes occur, arising in leaf-axils
sex Male: Male inflorescence spicate, racemose or rarely cymose, axillary or forming panicles at the leafless ends of branches
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens: Stamens 6, all fertile, or 3 reduced to staminodes, inserted at base and shorter than the perianth
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences: Female inflorescence spicate, axillary Male inflorescence spicate, racemose or rarely cymose, axillary or forming panicles at the leafless ends of branches
sex Female: Female inflorescence spicate, axillary
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth: Perianth similar to ♂, with an oblong triquetrous 3-locular ovary immediately beneath; styles 3, short; ovules 2 per locule Perianth suberect or spreading
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits: Capsule rigid, deeply 3-lobed or triangular-ellipsoid, dehiscing into 3 valves
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds: Seeds up to 2 per locule, variously winged or rarely wingless.

Native to:

Alabama, Albania, Aldabra, Algeria, Amur, Andaman Is., Angola, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Argentina South, Arkansas, Assam, Austria, Azores, Bahamas, Baleares, Bangladesh, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bismarck Archipelago, Bolivia, Borneo, Botswana, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Bulgaria, Burkina, Burundi, Cabinda, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Caprivi Strip, Caroline Is., Central African Repu, Chad, Chile Central, Chile North, Chile South, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Christmas I., Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Connecticut, Corse, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Delaware, District of Columbia, Dominican Republic, East Aegean Is., East Himalaya, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Florida, France, Free State, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Great Britain, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Is., Guyana, Hainan, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Illinois, India, Indiana, Inner Mongolia, Iowa, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jawa, Kansas, Kentucky, Kenya, Khabarovsk, Korea, Kriti, Krym, Kuril Is., KwaZulu-Natal, Laccadive Is., Laos, Lebanon-Syria, Leeward Is., Lesser Sunda Is., Liberia, Libya, Louisiana, Madagascar, Madeira, Malawi, Malaya, Maldives, Mali, Maluku, Manchuria, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nansei-shoto, Nebraska, Nepal, New Guinea, New Jersey, New South Wales, New York, Nicaragua, Nicobar Is., Niger, Nigeria, North Carolina, North Caucasus, Northern Provinces, Northern Territory, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Pakistan, Palestine, Panamá, Paraguay, Pennsylvania, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Primorye, Puerto Rico, Qinghai, Queensland, Rhode I., Romania, Rwanda, Sardegna, Senegal, Sicilia, Sierra Leone, Socotra, South Carolina, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Suriname, Swaziland, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Tennessee, Texas, Thailand, Tibet, Togo, Transcaucasus, Trinidad-Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Uganda, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Vermont, Vietnam, Virginia, West Himalaya, West Virginia, Western Australia, Windward Is., Wisconsin, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Introduced into:

California, Cook Is., Fiji, Hawaii, Ireland, Kazan-retto, Marianas, Marquesas, New Zealand North, Niue, Ogasawara-shoto, Pitcairn Is., Samoa, Santa Cruz Is., Seychelles, Society Is., Southwest Caribbean, Tonga, Tuamotu, Tubuai Is., Wallis-Futuna Is.