Dioscorea mexicana

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Mexican yam
Dioscorea mexicana.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Dioscoreales
Family: Dioscoreaceae
Genus: Dioscorea
Species:
D. mexicana
Binomial name
Dioscorea mexicana
Scheidw.
Synonyms [1]
  • Dioscorea macrostachyaBenth.
  • Dioscorea macrophyllaM.Martens & Galeotti
  • Dioscorea deppeiSchiede ex Schltdl.
  • Dioscorea bilbergianaKunth
  • Dioscorea leiboldianaKunth
  • Dioscorea propinquaHemsl.
  • Testudinaria cocolmecaProcop.
  • Dioscorea astrostigmaUline
  • Dioscorea macrostachya var. sessilifloraUline
  • Dioscorea tuerckheimiiR.Knuth
  • Dioscorea anconensisR.Knuth
  • Dioscorea deamiiMatuda
  • Dioscorea mexicana var. sessiliflora(Uline) Matuda
  • Testudinaria macrostachya(Benth.) G.D.Rowley

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]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Dioscorea</i> Genus of yams

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.

<i>Dioscorea villosa</i> Species of yam from North America

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.

<i>Dioscorea communis</i> Flowering plant in the yam family Dioscoreaceae

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<i>Dioscorea bulbifera</i> Species of flowering plant in the yam family Dioscoreaceae

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<i>Hypoxis decumbens</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Brunellia</i> Genus of flowering plants

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<i>Pitcairnia atrorubens</i> Species of plant

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mexican barbasco trade</span>

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.

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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.

  1. Diastatea costaricensisMcVaugh - Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica
  2. Diastatea expansaMcVaugh - central Mexico
  3. Diastatea ghiesbreghtii(Kuntze) E.Wimm - southwestern Mexico
  4. Diastatea micrantha(Kunth) McVaugh - widespread from central Mexico to the Jujuy region of northern Argentina
  5. Diastatea tenera(A.Gray) McVaugh - southern Mexico and Guatemala
  6. Diastatea virgataScheidw. - southern Mexico
<i>Catoferia</i> Genus of flowering plants

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.

<i>Cornutia</i> Genus of flowering plants

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.

<i>Dictyostega</i> Genus of flowering plants

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 ).

<i>Macroscepis</i> Genus of plants

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.

<i>Dioscorea deltoidea</i> Species of yam from Asia

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.

References

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  2. Dortort, Fred(2011). Succulent Plants of the World. Timber Press Inc. pp 220. ISBN   978-0-88192-995-9
  3. Téllez V., O. & B. G. Schubert. 1994. 251. Dioscoreaceae. 6: 53–65. In G. Davidse, M. Sousa Sánchez & A.O. Chater (eds.) Flora Mesoamericana. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D. F.
  4. Sosa, V., B. G. Schubert & A. Gómez Pompa. 1987. Dioscoreaceae. Flora de Veracruz 53: 1–46.
  5. Correa A., M.D., C. Galdames & M. Stapf. 2004. Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares de Panamá 1–599. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamá.
  6. Pérez J., L. A., M. Sousa Sánchez, A. M. Hanan-Alipi, F. Chiang Cabrera & P. Tenorio L. 2005. Vegetación terrestre. 65–110. In J. Bueno, F Álvarez & S. Santiago Biodiversidad del Estado de Tabasco. CONABIO-UNAM, México.
  7. Balick, M. J., M. H. Nee & D.E. Atha. 2000. Checklist of the vascular plants of Belize. Memoirs of The New York Botanical Garden 85: i–ix, 1–246.
  8. Nelson Sutherland, C.H. (2008). Catálogo de las plantes vasculares de Honduras. Espermatofitas: 1–1576. SERNA/Guaymuras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
  9. López Patiño, E.J., Szeszko, D.R., Rascala Pérez, J. & Beltrán Retis, A.S. (2012). The flora of the Tenacingo-Malinalco-Zumpahuacán protected natural area, state of Mexico, Mexico. Harvard Papers in Botany 17: 65–167.
  10. "Dioscorea mexicana". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  11. "americanheritage.com". Archived from the original on 2010-09-25. Retrieved 2008-08-05.