Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Dioscoreales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Dioscorea villosa
FAMILY
Dioscoreaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Dioscorea from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
INCLUDING
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Dioscorea villosa
FAMILY
Dioscoreaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Dioscorea villosa
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26 (2002)
Dioscorea villosa
INCLUDING Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Dioscorea quaternata
INCLUDING Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Dioscorea villosa
INCLUDING VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 043-01-002ab:
Dioscorea villosa var. villosa FAMILY Dioscoreaceae
INCLUDING Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968)
Dioscorea villosa var. hirticaulis
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Dioscorea glauca
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Dioscorea hirticaulis
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Dioscorea quaternata
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Dioscorea villosa
COMMON NAME:
Common Wild Yam, Streamhead Yam, Yellow Yam
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA Forest Service / A Guide to Medicinal Plants of Appalachia. 1969 mpa_page_111
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_divi4_001_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm200425_4110
April Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
Staminate inflorescence a single panicle in each axil (of median or upper leaves), per Weakley's Flora (2020).
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmdvillosa_trsp1
June Pickens County SC
Table Rock State Park
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmdvillosa_trsp2
June Pickens County SC
Table Rock State Park
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmdvillosa_trsp3
June Pickens County SC
Table Rock State Park
Leaves glabrous to densely pubescent beneath, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmdvillosa_trsp4
June Pickens County SC
Table Rock State Park
Staminate spikes have up to 4 flowers per node, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmdvillosa_wadc1
June? Pickens County SC
Jocassee Gorges
)
JK Marlow jkm140704_566
July Jackson County NC
Whiteside Mountain
Female (pistillate) spikes have 1 flower per node, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm140704_571
July Jackson County NC
Whiteside Mountain
)
Tim Spira tps_dvillosa2
July
Leaves w continuously convex lateral margins (except just below leaf apex), 9 or more main veins, per Weakley's Flora (2020).
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmdvillosa_wsm1
August? Jackson County NC
Whiteside Mountain
Our native Dioscorea have 7-13 main veins, vs. Smilax section Nemexia w 3(5), per Weakley's Flora (2012).
)
JK Marlow s071011_ab
October Oconee County SC
Oconee Station/Station Cove
Stem polygonal in cross-section, with 8-14 narrowly winged ribs, per Weakley's Flora.
)
JK Marlow s071011_ab2
October Oconee County SC
Oconee Station/Station Cove
Fruits about 1" long with 3 broad wings, occuring in clusters, per Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Dioscorea villosa
FAMILY
Dioscoreaceae
INCLUDING
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Dioscorea villosa
FAMILY
Dioscoreaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Dioscorea villosa
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26
Dioscorea villosa
INCLUDING
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Dioscorea quaternata
INCLUDING
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Dioscorea villosa
INCLUDING
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 043-01-002ab:
Dioscorea villosa var. villosa
FAMILY
Dioscoreaceae
INCLUDING
Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968)
Dioscorea villosa var. hirticaulis
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Dioscorea glauca
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Dioscorea hirticaulis
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Dioscorea quaternata
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Dioscorea villosa
476
Herbaceous vine
Perennial
Dioecious
Habitat: Moist forests and woodlands, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Whorled and/or alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Greenish-yellow
6 tepals
6 stamens
Inferior ovary
Unisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p356
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p162
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p040?
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p379
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p384?
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p440?
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011) p363?
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p019?
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011) p195
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