Mexican yam | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Dioscoreales |
Family: | Dioscoreaceae |
Genus: | Dioscorea |
Species: | D. mexicana |
Binomial name | |
Dioscorea mexicana Scheidw. | |
Synonyms [1] | |
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Dioscorea mexicana, Mexican yam or cabeza de negro is a species of yam in the genus Dioscorea . [1]
Dioscorea mexicana is a caudiciform dioscorea having either a partly to completely above-ground dome-shaped caudex with a thick, woody outer layer up to 3 feet (90 cm) in diameter and 8–10 inches (20 to 25 cm) in height. The caudex of D. mexicana is divided into regular polygonal plates that become protuberant with age, and separated by deep fissures. The vigorous annual vines which may reach 30 feet (9 m) long before dying back in winter, that grow up from the caudex, bear heart-shaped leaves. [2]
Dioscorea mexicana ranges from the state of San Luis Potosí in northeastern Mexico south to Panama. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] It is notable for its production of diosgenin, which is a precursor for the synthesis of hormones such as progesterone. [10] Russell Marker developed the extraction and manufacture of hormones from D. mexicana at Syntex. Later the Mexican barbasco trade focused instead on Dioscorea composita instead, as this variety has a higher diosgenin content. [11]
Milla, the Mexican star, is a genus of monocotyledonous plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Brodiaeoideae. They are native mostly to Mexico, with one species extending into Guatemala, Honduras, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico.
Dioscorea is a genus of over 600 species of flowering plants in the family Dioscoreaceae, native throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions of the world. The vast majority of the species are tropical, with only a few species extending into temperate climates. It was named by the monk Charles Plumier after the ancient Greek physician and botanist Dioscorides.
Dioscorea villosa is a species of twining tuberous vine which is native to eastern North America. It is commonly known as wild yam, colic root, rheumatism root, devil's bones, and fourleaf yam. It is common and widespread in a range stretching from Texas and Florida north to Minnesota, Ontario and Massachusetts.
Dioscorea communis or Tamus communis is a species of flowering plant in the yam family Dioscoreaceae and is commonly known as black bryony, lady's-seal or black bindweed.
Dioscorea bulbifera is a species of true yam in the yam family, Dioscoreaceae. It is native to Africa, Asia and northern Australia. It is widely cultivated and has become naturalized in many regions.
Hypoxis decumbens is a species of plant in the Hypoxidaceae, considered by some authors to be included within the Liliaceae or Amaryllidaceae. The species is widespread across South America, Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies.
Brunellia is a genus of trees. They are distributed in the mountainous regions of southern Mexico, Central America, West Indies, and South America. Brunellia is the only genus in the family Brunelliaceae. As of 2001 there were about 54 species.
Eulophia alta is a species of orchid, known as the wild coco. It is widespread across tropical and subtropical parts of Africa, South America, Central America, Mexico and the West Indies, as well as the southeastern United States.
Triniochloa is a genus of Latin American plants in the grass family.
Tillandsia pseudobaileyi is a species of flowering plant in the genus Tillandsia. This species is native to Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
Pitcairnia atrorubens is a species of flowering plant in Bromeliaceae family. It is native to Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, Guatemala, Colombia, and western Mexico as far north as Nayarit.
The Mexican barbasco trade was the trade of the diosgenin-rich yam species Dioscorea mexicana, Dioscorea floribunda and Dioscorea composita which emerged in Mexico in the 1950s as part of the Mexican steroid industry. The trade consisted in Mexican campesinos harvesting the root in the jungle, selling it to middlemen who brought it to processing plants where the root was fermented and the diosgenin extracted and sold to pharmaceutical companies such as Syntex who used it to produce synthetic hormones.
Trixis inula, the tropical threefold, is a plant species native to Texas, Mexico, Central America, northern South America, and the West Indies. It is found on open, sandy sites such as roadsides, thorn scrub, thickets, etc.
Diastatea is a genus of plants native to Latin America, mostly in Mexico and Central America but with one species extending southward along the Andes to Argentina.
Catoferia is a small genus of plants in the family Lamiaceae composed of only four different species. First described in full by George Bentham in 1876, said species are native to southern Mexico, Central America, Colombia and Peru. Amongst all four species, only Catoferia chiapensis are known to grow across a wide area, their growth recorded in southern Mexico, Guatemala, Peru and Belize. Growth of the other three variants is believed to be limited to Southern Mexico. The beginning of the genus Catoferia is thought trace back to the Cretaceous era, making it around 55 to 65 million years old.
Cornutia is a genus of plants in the family Lamiaceae, first described in 1753. Species in this genus are native to tropical parts of the Western Hemisphere, including southern Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and northern South America.
Dictyostega is a genus of flowering plants in the Burmanniaceae, first described as a genus in 1840. It contains only one known species, Dictyostega orobanchoides, native to southern Mexico, Central America, Trinidad, and South America ).
Macroscepis is a genus of plants in the family Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1819. It is native to Latin America and the West Indies.
Dioscorea deltoidea, the Nepal yam, is a species of flowering plant in the family Dioscoreaceae. Its native range is the Himalayas through to south-central China and mainland Southeast Asia. Its tubers contain diosgenin and are harvested by local peoples as a treatment for a variety of conditions, including gastrointestinal disorders and intestinal worms. Tubers are also eaten after boiling, washing, and baking. It grows in forests and humus-rich soils.
Dioscorea floribunda, the medicinal yam or mule's-hoof, is a species of flowering plant in the family Dioscoreaceae. It is found from central Mexico to northern Central America. It is grown commercially for its diosgenin content.