Dioscorea cayenensis

Dioscorea cayenensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Dioscoreales
Family:	Dioscoreaceae
Genus:	Dioscorea
Species:	D. cayenensis
Binomial name
	Dioscorea cayenensis; Lam.

Dioscorea cayenensis is a species of plant in the yam family Dioscoreaceae. It is native to Western Africa, where it is a widely consumed crop. Common names include Guinea yam, yellow yam, and yellow Guinea yam.

Distribution

This species is native to the African countries Benin, Burkina, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Islands, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. It has been introduced to parts of South America and the Caribbean.

Taxonomy

Two subspecies are recognised – D. c. subsp. rotunda and the autonym D. c. subsp. cayenensis.

It may be a triploid hybrid between the cultivated D. rotundata and the wild D. burkilliana.

References

1 2 3 "Dioscorea cayenensis Lam". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2026. Retrieved 3 November 2026.
↑ Sugihara, Yu; Kudoh, Aoi; Oli, Muluneh Tamiru; Takagi, Hiroki; Natsume, Satoshi; Shimizu, Motoki; Abe, Akira; Asiedu, Robert; Asfaw, Asrat; Adebola, Patrick; Terauchi, Ryohei (2021). "Population Genomics of Yams: Evolution and Domestication of Dioscorea Species". Population Genomics. doi:10.1007/13836_2021_94.

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[POWO-1] 1 2 3 "Dioscorea cayenensis Lam". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2026. Retrieved 3 November 2026.

[2] Sugihara, Yu; Kudoh, Aoi; Oli, Muluneh Tamiru; Takagi, Hiroki; Natsume, Satoshi; Shimizu, Motoki; Abe, Akira; Asiedu, Robert; Asfaw, Asrat; Adebola, Patrick; Terauchi, Ryohei (2021). "Population Genomics of Yams: Evolution and Domestication of Dioscorea Species". Population Genomics. doi:10.1007/13836_2021_94.