Dioscorea praehensilis

Dioscorea praehensilis is a species of yam in the genus Dioscorea native to Africa. It is the wild progenitor of the West African domesticated crops Dioscorea rotundata and Dioscorea cayennensis.[1] D. praehensilis is a liana with an edible tuber root found in African rainforests and seasonal tropical forests. The tuber roots reach their maximum starch reserves during the dry season. This species of wild yam renews their stems every year at the start of the rainy season.[2]

Dioscorea praehensilis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Dioscoreales
Family: Dioscoreaceae
Genus: Dioscorea
Species:
D. praehensilis
Binomial name
Dioscorea praehensilis
Benth.

References

  1. Blench, Roger (2006). Archaeology, language, and the African past. Altamira Press. ISBN 9780759104655.
  2. Yasuoka, Hirokazu (2009-08-19). "Concentrated Distribution of Wild Yam Patches: Historical Ecology and the Subsistence of African Rainforest Hunter-Gatherers". Human Ecology. 37 (5): 577–587. doi:10.1007/s10745-009-9279-5. ISSN 0300-7839. S2CID 132172073.


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