Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Dioscoreales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Dioscorea polystachya
FAMILY
Dioscoreaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Learn more about Cinnamon Vine from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH (MISAPPLIED)
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Dioscorea oppositifolia
FAMILY
Dioscoreaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Dioscorea polystachya
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 043-01-001:
Dioscorea batatas FAMILY Dioscoreaceae
COMMON NAME:
Cinnamon Vine, Chinese Yam
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
JK Marlow jkm120428_873
April Oconee County SC
Clemson Forest
Lvs heart-shaped to triangular w elongated tips; basal lobes often angled, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010).
)
JK Marlow jkm120428_877
April Oconee County SC
Clemson Forest
Leaf veins slightly indented (appearing quilted), converging at tip & base, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010).
)
JK Marlow jkm120428_887
April Oconee County SC
Clemson Forest
Perennial from large vertically-oriented tubers, per Weakley's Flora.
)
JK Marlow jkm120428_892
April Oconee County SC
Clemson Forest
Stems terete, per Weakley's Flora (2015).
)
JK Marlow jkm140528_249
May Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Leaf margins halberd-shaped, the sides with a concave portion, per Weakley's Flora (2012).
)
JK Marlow jkm140623_206b
June Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Male spikes bearing flowers singly, flowers bracteate, internodes < 2 mm, per Flora of North America.
)
JK Marlow jkm140625_350
June Greenville County SC
Cleveland Park
)
JK Marlow jkm140625_353
June Greenville County SC
Cleveland Park
)
JK Marlow jkm190604_8986
June Greenville County SC
Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area
)
Stephanie C. Brundage scb_062119EClayCty10ed
June Clay County NC
Roadside
Rachis of male spikes obviously zigzagged; flowers sessile, per Flora of China.
)
JK Marlow jkm140730_209
July Greenville County SC
Cleveland Park
Small potatolike aerial tubers (bulbils) form in leaf axils in late summer, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm140809_449
August Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm141005_039
October Greenville County SC
Bunched Arrowhead Heritage Preserve
)
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org bug_5421977
November
)
Chris Evans, Illinois Wildlife Action Plan, Bugwood.org bug_2120019
Month Unknown
Dies back in winter but able to cover small trees in a year, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010).
)
Chris Evans, Illinois Wildlife Action Plan, Bugwood.org bug_2156083
Month Unknown
)
Steve Hurst, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org bug_5307033
Month Unknown
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Dioscorea polystachya
FAMILY
Dioscoreaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (MISAPPLIED)
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Dioscorea oppositifolia
FAMILY
Dioscoreaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Dioscorea polystachya
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 043-01-001:
Dioscorea batatas
FAMILY
Dioscoreaceae
473
Herbaceous vine
Perennial
Dioecious
Habitat: Thickets, disturbed areas, bottomland forests, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: China
Common in Mountains & Carolina Piedmont, rare in GA Coastal Plain (uncommon elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
This plant is causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
- Alabama Invasive Plant Council, 2012
- Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2006
- Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2013
- SC Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2014
- Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2009
- US Forest Service Southern Research Station
- Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, 2014
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate or opposite
FLOWER:
Summer
Greenish-white
6 tepals
6 stamens
Inferior ovary
Unisexual
FRUIT:
Summer
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Invasive Plants, Guide to Identification, Impacts and Control (Kaufman & Kaufman, 2007) p213
- A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010) p062
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p379
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p384
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p439
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p019
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