| Author: |
J.B.A.P. de Monnet de Lamarck, 1789 |
| Family: |
DIOSCOREACEAE |
| Origin: |
Benin,
Burkina, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Gambia,
Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Island, Ivory
Coast, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone,
Togo (South Africa, Africa, Caribbean Islands) |
| Soil: |
Clay -
Organic |
| Water:
|
Maximum |
| Sun: |
Medium -
Maximum |
| Thickness: |
10 (20) Centimetres |
| Height: |
12 Metres |
| Flower:
|
White |
| Propagate: |
Seeds/Roots |
| Names:
|
Yellow Yam |
| Synonyms: |
Dioscorea cayennensis: See below* |
This member of the Dioscoreaceae family was given this name by
Jean Baptiste Antoine Pierre de Monnet de Lamarck in 1789. It is found
in central Africa (and introduced to Brazil and the Caribbean), growing in a
clayish soil with organic matter, receiving plenty of water and some
to lots of sun. The caudex can grow to ten or even twenty
centimetres in diameter, the entire plant to twelve metres in
height. The
flowers are white. The
leaves are extremely varied, from deeply cordate to almost
orbicular.
Dioscorea is named after
Pedianos Dioscorides, a Greek physician if the 1st century A.D. The
species is named after Cayenne, the capital of French Guiana.
*Strangely enough, MoBot have
both spellings, both referring to Encyclopédie Méthodique, Botanique
3: 233. 1789. However, I fail to see the double "n".
|
