The yam family. Plants are herbaceous or woody vines and shrubs, distributed throughout tropical and warm temperate regions. Members of the family have thick, sometimes woody roots or tuber-like underground stems and net-veined, often heart-shaped leaves that sometimes are lobed. The small green or white flowers of most species are borne in clusters in the leaf axils. The fruit is a winged capsule or a berry.

Britannica Editors. "Dioscoreaceae". Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Jul. 2008, https://www.britannica.com/plant/Dioscoreaceae. Accessed 15 August 2026.

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