YAMS
Dioscorea bulbifera L. (Dioscoreaceae).
Given its scientific name by Carolus Linnaeus in 1753, using material described by Paul Hermann in his book about the plants of what is today Indonesia, first published in 1689.
Originally native to both South-East Asia and Africa, it was independently domesticated in both regions.
Life form: herbaceous vine from a sometimes massive
tuber;
dioecious, but reproducing vegetatively from small bulbils (plantlets) produced instead of flowers on the
inflorescences.
Parts used: edible
tubers; some species also used as a source of
alkaloids for the drug industry.
Ploidy level: extremely variable - some populations
diploid, some
triploid and others
tetraploid..
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