Dioscorea villosa Linnaeus. Common name: Wild Yam. Phenology: Apr-Jun; Sep-Nov. Habitat: Moist forests and woodlands. Distribution: NJ, NY, s. ON, WI, MN, and IA south to n. FL and TX.
Origin/Endemic status: Native
Taxonomy Comments: Various specific and infraspecific taxa are here combined. Ward (1977c) stated that "a recent study at Duke University by Shu-fun Au, unfinished due to the death of its author, tentatively recognized D. hirticaulis and D. floridana but combined all other entities without distinction under D. villosa". Further study is needed. Al-Shehbaz & Schubert (1989) indicate that the lectotype of D. villosa has pubescent stems; nomenclatural changes would apparently be needed if varietal status of the two named varieties of D. villosa proves warranted.
Synonymy ⓘ: = Ar, Can, ETx1, FNA26, K4, Mi, NE, NY, POWO, Tn, Va, WH3; = Dioscorea villosa L.; > Dioscorea glauca Muhl. ex Bartlett — S; > Dioscorea hirticaulis Bartlett — F, G, S, Ward (1977c); > Dioscorea quaternata J.F. Gmel. — C, F, G, Mo1, NcTx, NS, Pa, S, Tx, Al-Shehbaz & Schubert (1989), Ward (1977c); > Dioscorea quaternata J.F. Gmel. var. glauca (Muhl.) Fernald — Il, Tat; > Dioscorea quaternata J.F. Gmel. var. quaternata — Il; < Dioscorea villosa L. — S13; > Dioscorea villosa L. — F, G, Il, Mo1, NcTx, NS, Pa, S, Tat, Tx, W, Ward (1977c); > Dioscorea villosa L. var. hirticaulis (Bartlett) H.E.Ahles — C, RAB, Al-Shehbaz & Schubert (1989); > Dioscorea villosa L. var. villosa — C, RAB; Dioscorea villosa L. Basionym: Dioscorea villosa L. 1753
Links to other floras: = Dioscorea villosa - FNA26
Show parent genus | Show parent in key(s)
Wetland Indicator Status:
- Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: FACW
- Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: FAC
- Great Plains: FAC
- Midwest: FAC
- Northcentral & Northeast: FAC
Heliophily ⓘ: 5
Hover over a shape, letter, icon, or arrow on the map for definition or see the legend.
© Gary P. Fleming | Original Image ⭷
© Gary P. Fleming | Original Image ⭷
© Edwin Bridges | Original Image ⭷
© Alan M. Cressler | Original Image ⭷
© Edwin Bridges | Original Image ⭷
© Keith Bradley | Original Image ⭷
© Bruce A. Sorrie | Original Image ⭷
© Bruce A. Sorrie | Original Image ⭷
© Gary P. Fleming | Original Image ⭷
© Alaina Krakowiak, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Alaina Krakowiak source CC-BY | Original Image ⭷
© Gary P. Fleming | Original Image ⭷
© Keith Bradley | Original Image ⭷
© Keith Bradley | Original Image ⭷Feedback
See something missing or incorrect about Dioscorea villosa? Let us know here:
- Please include your name and if possible, email in case when need to clarify what you wrote.
- If you opt out of including email, please be as specific as possible (e.g., which photo is incorrect?)
- Please do not submit questions asking to identify plants or about horticultural topics (e.g., how do I control an invasive plant in my garden?). Instead, those questions can be submitted here for the Carolinas region only.
- Please do not send us feedback about unkeyed species as this work is ongoing.
- Please allow time for flora edits to show in our next data release. We greatly appreciate your feedback but may require extra time to research complicated taxonomic issues.
Horticultural Information
Intro: Perennial herbaceous vine found in moist hardwood forests.
Stems: Stems angled, twining, light green or reddish, smooth to sparsely hairy.
Leaves: Leaves alternate (sometimes whorled at base of vine), petiolate, heart-shaped with long tip, to 5 in. long, with 7-11 curved parallel veins, smooth above and short-furry beneath.
Inforescence:
Flowers: Flowers all male or all female on a single plant, in panicles (male) or racemes (female) from leaf axils, whitish-green to yellow-green and about 1/8 in. wide; male flowers with 6 tepals and 6 fertile stamens, female flowers with 6 tepals and a large ovary and 6 infertile stamens.
Fruits: Fruit a golden-green, 3-winged, ellipsoid capsule that becomes tan and papery in winter.
Comments:
Height: to 23 ft. long
plant sale text:
bloom table text:
description: Perennial herbaceous vine found in moist hardwood forests.
stems: Stems angled, twining, light green or reddish, smooth to sparsely hairy.
leaves: Leaves alternate (sometimes whorled at base of vine), petiolate, heart-shaped with long tip, to 5 in. long, with 7-11 curved parallel veins, smooth above and short-furry beneath.
inflorescence:
flowers: Flowers all male or all female on a single plant, in panicles (male) or racemes (female) from leaf axils, whitish-green to yellow-green and about 1/8 in. wide; male flowers with 6 tepals and 6 fertile stamens, female flowers with 6 tepals and a large ovary and 6 infertile stamens.
fruits: Fruit a golden-green, 3-winged, ellipsoid capsule that becomes tan and papery in winter.
comments:
cultural notes:
germination code:
native range: eastern & central United States
0 unsaved edits on this page.