Dioscorea althaeoides R.Knuth

Species

Angiosperms > Dioscoreales > Dioscoreaceae > Dioscorea

Characteristics

Rhizome horizontal, little branched, cylindric, 0.7--1.5 cm thick. Stem twining to left, sparsely hirsute, glabrescent. Leaves alternate, simple; petiole 5--12 cm; leaf blade drying greenish, orbicular to broadly ovate, usually 4--7-lobed or coarsely toothed, 10--17 × 10--13 cm, veins abaxially tomentose, basal veins 9 or 11, outermost ones sometimes pedately divided, base cordate with rounded sinus, margin undulate to distinctly coarsely toothed, apex acute to acuminate. Male spikes solitary or paired, sometimes branched, to 28 cm; axis puberulent. Male flowers: usually in lax cymules of 2--5; pedicel 2--3 mm; bract to 1 mm; bracteoles absent; perianth dull olive green, bowl-shaped, ca. 1.5 mm, lobes spreading; stamens 6, inserted at base of perianth, filaments incurved, short. Female spikes solitary or 2 or 3 together, 40-or more flowered. Female flowers: bracts lanceolate; staminodes filiform or absent. Capsule straw-colored, shiny, ca. 2.5 cm, base gradually narrowed, apex slightly widened; wings ca. 0.7 cm wide. Seeds inserted near base of capsule, ca. 8 mm; wing pointing toward capsule apex. Fl. Jun--Aug, fr. Jul--Sep.
Life form annual
Growth form herb
Growth support climber
Foliage retention -
Sexuality dioecy
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) -
Root system rhizome
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) -

Usage

Uses medicinal
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) 21 - 36
Germination temperacture (C°) 21 - 23
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Distribution

Dioscorea althaeoides world distribution map, present in China and Thailand

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:317632-1
WFO ID wfo-0000388882
COL ID 36CC4
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Dioscorea althaeoides Dioscorea platanifolia