Dioscorea villosa

Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens from wild populations. Cultivated occurrences are not mapped. View county names by placing the cursor over the map.

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Family:	DIOSCOREACEAE
Species:	Dioscorea villosa L.
Common Name:	WILD YAM; FOURLEAF YAM
Status:	Native, FACW (NWPL)
Specimen:	View details of USF Herbarium specimens

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

Division
Class
Sub Class
Order	DIOSCOREALES
Family	DIOSCOREACEAE
Genus	Dioscorea
Species	Dioscorea villosa L. - WILD YAM; FOURLEAF YAM

Citation

Citation	DIOSCOREA VILLOSA Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1033. 1753.
Basionym:	**
Type:	VIRGINIA: Without data, Clayton 94 (lectotype: BM). Lectotypified by S. F. Blake, Rhodora 2: 49. 1918.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Source

County	Herbaria	Literature Citation (If Applicable)
Alachua	FTG
Escambia	USF
Jackson	FLAS
Leon	FSU
Liberty	FSU
Okaloosa	USF
Wakulla	FSU
Walton	FTG
Washington	FSU

Synonyms

– Denotes synonyms that are applicable to the state. Show these synonyms only

Synonym	Full Citation	Basionym	Type
Dioscorea paniculata	Dioscorea paniculata Michaux, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 239. 1803, nom. illegit.	BASIONYM: Dioscorea villosa Linnaeus 1753.
Dioscorea quaternata	Dioscorea quaternata J. F. Gmelin, Syst. Nat. 2: 581. 1791.		TYPE: SOUTH CAROLINA: Union Co.: Parris Bridge Road, N side of Lake Blalock, N of Carlisle, 15 May 1991, Hill 22286 (neotype: GH; isoneotype: NY). Neotypified by D. B. Ward, J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 1: 1096. 2007.
Dioscorea villosa subsp. paniculata	Dioscorea villosa Linnaeus, subsp. paniculata R. R. Knuth, in Engler, Pflanzenr. 4(Heft 87): 173. 1924, nom. inadmiss.	BASIONYM: Dioscorea paniculata Michaux 1803, nom. illegit.; Dioscorea villosa Linnaeus 1753.
Dioscorea villosa subsp. quaternata	Dioscorea villosa Linnaeus, subsp. quaternata (J. F. Gmelin) R. Knuth, in Engler, Pflanzenr. 4(Heft 87): 173. 1924.	BASIONYM: Dioscorea quaternata J. F. Gmelin 1791.
Dioscorea villosa var. vera	Dioscorea villosa Linnaeus, var. vera Prain & Burkill, J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, Pt. 2, Nat. Hist. 10(?): 15. 1914, nom. inadmiss.	BASIONYM: Dioscorea villosa Linnaeus 1753.
Dioscorea cliffortiana	Dioscorea cliffortiana Lamarck, Encycl. 3: 232. 1789, nom. illegit.	BASIONYM: Dioscorea sativa Linnaeus 1753.
Dioscorea glauca	Dioscorea glauca Muhlenberg ex Bartlett, Bull. Bur. Pl. Industr., U.S.D.A.. 189: 10, 13. 1910.
Dioscorea hexaphylla	Dioscorea hexaphylla Rafinesque, New Fl. 2: 89. 1837 ("1836").		TYPE: VIRGINIA:
Dioscorea hirticaulis	Dioscorea hirticaulis Bartlett, Bull. Bur. Pl. Industr., U.S.D.A. 189: 17. 1910.
Dioscorea lloydiana	Dioscorea lloydiana E. H. L. Krause, Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 32(2): 331. 1914.	BASIONYM: Dioscorea villosa Linnaeus, var. glabra C. Lloyd 1880.
Dioscorea longifolia	Dioscorea longifolia Rafinesque, New Fl. 2: 89. 1837 ("1836").		TYPE: ALABAMA:
Dioscorea megaptera	Dioscorea megaptera Rafinesque, New Fl. 2: 88. 1837 ("1836").		TYPE: KENTUCKY:
Dioscorea paniculata var. glabrifolia	Dioscorea paniculata Michaux, var. glabrifolia Bartlett, Bull. Bur. Pl. Industr., U.S.D.A. 189: 15. 1910.
Dioscorea pruinosa	Dioscorea pruinosa Kunth, Enum. Pl. 5: 338. 1850.
Dioscorea quaternata var. glauca	Dioscorea quaternata J. F. Gmelin, var. glauca (Muhlenberg ex Bartlett) Fernald, Rhodora 39: 399. 1937.	BASIONYM: Dioscorea glauca Muhlenberg ex Bartlett 1910.
Dioscorea quinata	Dioscorea quinata J. F. Gmelin, Syst. Nat. 2: 581. 1791.		TYPE: SOUTH CAROLINA:
Dioscorea repanda	Dioscorea repanda Rafinesque, New Fl. 2: 89. 1837 ("1836"), non Blume 1827.		TYPE: ALABAMA/VIRGINIA:
Dioscorea sativa	Dioscorea sativa Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1033. 1753.		TYPE: Without data, cult. in Holland (lectotype: Ehret, in Linnaeus, Hort. Cliffort. t. 28, vegetative portion. 1737), typ. cons. propos. Lectotypified by Stearn, Introd. Linnaeus' Sp. Pl. (Ray Soc. ed.). 47. 1957; McNeill et al., Taxon 37: 369. 1987.
Dioscorea villosa forma glabrifolia	Dioscorea villosa Linnaeus, forma glabrifolia (Bartlett) Fernald, Rhodora 39: 401. 1937.	BASIONYM: Dioscorea paniculata Michaux, var. glabrifolia Bartlett 1910.
Dioscorea villosa subsp. glabrifolia	Dioscorea villosa Linnaeus, subsp. glabrifolia (Bartlett) W. Stone, Pl. S. New Jersey 358. 1912 ("1911").	BASIONYM: Dioscorea paniculata Michaux, var. glabrifolia Bartlett 1910.
Dioscorea villosa subsp. glauca	Dioscorea villosa Linnaeus, subsp. glauca (Muhlenberg ex Bartlett) R. Knuth, in Engler, Pflanzenr. 4(Heft 87): 173. 1924.	BASIONYM: Dioscorea glauca Muhlenberg ex Bartlett 1910.
Dioscorea villosa subsp. hirticaulis	Dioscorea villosa Linnaeus, subsp. hirticaulis (Bartlett) R. Knuth, in Engler, Pflanzenr. 4(Heft 87): 173. 1924.	BASIONYM: Dioscorea hirticaulis Bartlett 1910.
Dioscorea villosa var. glabra	Dioscorea villosa Linnaeus, var. glabra C. Lloyd, in King & C. Lloyd, Suppl. Amer. Dispens. 81. 1880.
Dioscorea villosa var. glabrifolia	Dioscorea villosa Linnaeus, var. glabrifolia (Bartlett) S. F. Blake, Rhodora 20: 49. 1918.	BASIONYM: Dioscorea paniculata Michaux, var. glabrifolia Bartlett 1910.
Dioscorea villosa var. hirticaulis	Dioscorea villosa Linnaeus, var. hirticaulis (Bartlett) Ahles, J. Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc. 80: 172. 1964.	BASIONYM: Dioscorea hirticaulis Bartlett 1910.
Dioscorea villosa var. laeviuscula	Dioscorea villosa Linnaeus, var. laeviuscula A. W. Wood, Class-Book Bot., ed. 2. 544. 1847.
Dioscorea waltheri	Dioscorea waltheri Desfontaines, Tabl. Ecole Bot., ed. 2. 269. 1815.

Specimens

Country	State	County	Date	Specimen	Notes
USA	Florida	Escambia Co.	02 Jun 1982	G. Wilhelm 10225
USA	Florida	Escambia Co.	02 May 1982	D. S. Correll 53851
USA	Florida	Okaloosa Co.	25 Aug 1994	S. L. Orzell 22937
USA	Georgia	Harris Co.	23 Aug 1971	S. B. Jones 21126
USA	Mississippi		12 Apr 1928	G. O. Akuidaut s.n.
USA	Louisiana	St. Tammany Par.	18 Aug 1983	D. D. Taylor 5111
USA	Louisiana	Ouachita Par.	07 May 1967	R. D. Thomas 2584
USA	Arkansas	Polk Co.	07 May 1955	G. R. Cooley 4278
USA	South Carolina	Spartanburg Co.	15 May 1991	S. R. Hill 22286
USA	Mississippi	Hinds Co.	09 May 1928	F. R. Akuidaut s.n.
USA	Mississippi	Jackson Co.	20 Aug 1951	R. B. Channell 393
USA	South Carolina	Union Co.	17 Jun 1987	Charles N. Horn 1925
USA	Mississippi	Lowndes Co.	09 Jul 1956	J. D. Ray, Jr. 6693
USA	Mississippi	Tishomingo Co.	13 Jun 1956	J. D. Ray, Jr. 6320
USA	North Carolina	Washington Co.	15 Jun 1958	A. E. Radford 35254
USA	Louisiana	Webster Par.	04 Jun 1979	C. M. Allen 8903
USA	North Carolina	Mitchell Co.	16 Jun 1958	H. E. Ahles 43356
USA	North Carolina	Burke Co.	09 Sep 1958	R. C. Bell 15053
USA	Virginia	Wythe Co.	28 Jul 1960	R. Kral 10859
USA	Kentucky	Madison Co.	21 May 1961	G. B. Collins s.n.
USA	Virginia	Bland Co.	13 Jun 1960	R. Kral 10476
USA	Connecticut	New London Co.	08 Aug 1925	J. F. Smith 17745
USA	Missouri	Newton Co.	11 Aug 1979	S. Darwin 1688
USA	Illinois	Alexander Co.	22 Jun 1999	S. R. Hill 31741
USA	Virginia	Carroll Co.	19 Aug 1979	D. E. Boufford 21366
USA	Maryland	Montgomery Co.	09 Jul 1901	P. Dowell 6708
USA	Missouri	Reynolds Co.	27 Aug 1929	H. W. Rickett s.n.
USA	Pennsylvania	Lehigh Co.	16 Jun 1899	P. Dowell 741
USA	Virginia	Fairfax Co.	30 Jun 1981	J. Whiton 111
USA	Illinois	Pope Co.	06 Nov 1969	D. Keil 5003
USA	Kentucky	Madison Co.	17 May 1981	D. D. Taylor 221
USA	Kentucky	Rockcastle Co.	28 May 1983	D. D. Taylor 3684
USA	Wisconsin	Fond du Lac Co.	08 Jul 1978	T. Underwood 765
USA	Virginia	Carroll Co.	19 Aug 1979	D. E. Boufford 21366
USA	Illinois	Lawrence Co.	07 Jun 2012	S. R. Hill 38954
USA	Illinois	Clark Co.	05 Sep 2002	S. R. Hill 35001
USA	Virginia	Shenandoah Co.	29 May 1979	T. Miller 148
USA	Illinois	Alexander Co.	23 May 2001	S. R. Hill 33842
USA	New Jersey	Cape May Co.	02 Jul 1906	O. H. Brown 3546
USA	Kentucky	Pulaski Co.	14 Aug 1992	J. Richard Abbott 3979	"Wild Yam".
USA	Illinois	Saline Co.	07 Jun 1995	S. R. Hill 26707
USA	Connecticut	Fairfield Co.	31 Jul 1904	E. H. Eames s.n.
USA	North Carolina	Stokes Co.	01 Jun 1940	A. E. Radford s.n.

Listed Status: Florida

Listed Status:	(Florida):Source - Plants in the Preservation of Native Flora of Florida Act. Chapter 5B-40, Florida Administrative Code. 1998, amended.
Endangered:	A species of plants native to the state that are in imminent danger of extinction within the state, the survival of which is unlikely if the causes of a decline in the number of plants continue, and includes all species determined to be endangered or threatened pursuant to the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.
Threatened:	Listed as Threatened Plants in the Preservation of Native Flora of Florida Act. Defined as species of plants native to the state that are in rapid decline in the number of plants within the state, but which have not so decreased in such number as to cause them to be endangered.

Listed Status: US

Listed Status: US	(U.S.) Source - List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.
Endangered:	Any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
Threatened:	Any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

WAP: Wetland AssessmentProcedure

Wetland Assessment Procedure (WAP): Source - Southwest Florida Water Management District, Wetland Assessment Procedure Instruction Manual for Isolated Wetlands (March 2005).

AD:	Adaptive Species. Plant species designated as FAC or Upland by DEP, but commonly seen in the transition zone in limited numbers.
D:	Deep Species. Plant species commonly found in the deep zone, and designated either FAC or OBL by DEP.
OD:	Outer Deep Species. Plant species commonly found in the outer deep zone, and designated either FACW or OBL by DEP.
T:	Transition Species. Plant species commonly found in the transition zone, and designated either FACW or OBL by DEP.
U:	Upland Species. Plant species that are not expected to be seen in wetlands.

ANY - WAP critieria is not taken into consideration
Yes - Show results with WAP designations
No - Show results without WAP designations

FISC: Florida Invasive Species Council

FISC:

Source - Florida Invasive Species Council's 2017 List of Florida's Most Invasive Species

Category I - Species that are invading and disrupting native plant communities in Florida. This definition does not rely on the economic severity or geographic range of the problem, but on the documented ecological damage caused.

Category II - Species that have shown a potential to disrupt native plant communities. These species may become ranked as Category I, but have not yet demonstrated disruption of natural Florida communities.

DEP: Department of Environmental Protection

Wetland Status, Department of Environmental Regulation (DEP): Source - Delineation of the Landward Extent of Wetlands and Surface Waters, Chapter 62-340, Florida Administrative Code. 1994.

OBL:	Obligate wetland. Occurs almost always under natural conditions in wetlands.
FACW:	Facultative Wetland. Usually occurs in wetlands, but occasionally found in non-wetlands
FAC:	Facultative. equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands.

NWPL: National Wetland Plant List

National Wetland Plant List (NWPL): Source - Lichvar, R.W., M. Butterwick, N.C. Melvin, and W.N. Kirchner. 2014. The National Wetland Plant List: 2014 Update of Wetland Ratings. Phytoneuron 2014-41: 1-42.

OBL:	Obligate Wetland. Occurs almost always (estimated probability 99%) under natural conditions in wetlands.
FACW:	Facultative Wetland. Usually occurs in wetlands (estimated probability 67%-99%), but occasionally found in non-wetlands.
FAC:	Facultative. Equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands (estimated probability 34%-66%).
FACU:	Facultative Upland. Usually occurs in non-wetlands (estimated probability 67%-99%), but occasionally found in wetlands (estimated probability 1%-33%).
UPL:	Obligate Upland. Occurs in wetlands in another region, but occurs almost always (estimated probability 99%) under natural conditions in non-wetlands in the regions specified.

Persisting

Identifying species that appear as waifs or only periodically appear in the flora for a few seasons.

Any - Persisting critieria is not taken into consideration
Yes - Show results with a Persisting value of Y
No - Show results without Persisting value of N

Duration

Annual:	Plants that perform their entire lifecycle within a single growing season. All roots, stems, and leaves die at the end of the growing season. Over wintering seeds allow the next generation to appear.
Biennial:	A plant that is typically vegetative its first year and blooms the following season. Once it has bloomed and set seed, the plant dies. Garlic mustard is an example of a biennial.
Perennial:	These plants live for three or more seasons. Many perennials may not be mature enough to bloom during its first year. Perennial wildflowers re-grow each season from overwinter root material.

Category

Vascular:	Any of various plants that have the vascular tissues xylem and phloem. The vascular plants include all seed-bearing plants (the gymnosperms and angiosperms) and the pteridophytes (including the ferns, lycophytes, and horsetails). Also called tracheophyte.
Bryophyte:	A large group of seedless green plants including the mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. Bryophytes lack the specialized tissues xylem and phloem that circulate water and dissolved nutrients in the vascular plants. Bryophytes generally live on land but are mostly found in moist environments, for they have free-swimming sperm that require water for transport. In contrast to the vascular plants, the gametophyte (haploid) generation of bryophytes constitutes the larger plant form, while the small sporophyte (diploid) generation grows on or within the gametophyte and depends upon it for nutrition.
Lichen:	The mutualistic symbiotic association of a fungus with an alga or a cyanobacterium, or both. The fungal component of a lichen absorbs water and nutrients from the surroundings and provides a suitable environment for the alga or cyanobacterium. These live protected among the dense fungal hyphae and produce carbohydrates for the fungus by photosynthesis. Owing to this partnership, lichens can thrive in harsh environments such as mountaintops and polar regions. The more familiar lichens grow slowly as crusty patches, but lichens are found in a variety of forms, such as the tall, plantlike reindeer moss. The association between the different organisms in a lichen is so close that lichens are routinely referred to as a single organism, and scientists classify lichens using the name of the fungal component.

(Definitions from: American Heritage Science Dictionary)

Growth Habit

Intro paragraph to be provided by New York.

Vine:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Shrub:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Tree:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Et cetera:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.

State Rank

This numeric rank provides the relative rarity for each species based on a scale from 1 (very rare) to 5 (common). These ranks carry no legal status.

S1 - Typically 5 or fewer occurrences, very few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or some factor of its biology making it especially vulnerable in the state.
S2 - Typically 6 to 20 occurrences, few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or factors demonstrably making it very vulnerable in the state.
S3 - Typically 21 to 100 occurrences, limited acreage, or miles of stream in the state.
S4 - Apparently secure in the state.
S5 - Demonstrably secure in the state.
SE - State exotic or non-native.
SH - Historically known from the state, but not seen in the past 15 years.
SNA - Species for which a rank is not applicable. This is mainly those species which are now excluded from flora for various reasons.
SNR - Not yet ranked.
SX - Apparently extirpated from the state.

Global Rank

Each species' global rank is determined by NatureServe. These ranks carry no legal weight. The global rank reflects the species worldwide rarity.

G1 - Critically imperiled globally because of extreme rarity (5 or fewer occurrences), or very few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or especially vulnerable to extinction because of some factor of its biology.
G2 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G3 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G4 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
GH - Historically known, with the expectation that it might be rediscovered.
GNA - Species for which a rank is not applicable. NatureServe does not typically rank hybrid species.
GNR - Not yet ranked.
GX - Species believed to be extinct.

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Filter by County - Counties to Exclude - ANY versus ALL

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Associated Ecological Communities

View a List of All Ecological Communities

For more information, contact: Richard Wunderlin or Bruce Hansen, Alan Franck, or Karla Alvarado

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Citation Information:

Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2024. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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Definition: Vouchered Specimen

A voucher specimen is a pressed and thoroughly dried plant sample deposited in a herbarium, and is intended to be a permanent record supporting research purposes. A voucher may be a record of a plant's occurrence in a particular area, or a specific example of a plant used in a scientific investigation.

Proper vouchers display all the necessary attributes for complete identification of the plant, and are to be accompanied by accurate locality, habitat, collection time, and collector data.

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