Caudex of Dioscorea mexicana
So, which is the plant and which is the rock? Luckily for us, this Dioscorea mexicana, or Mexican yam, hasn’t gone deciduous for the summer. The juicy, thick, heart-shaped leaves are born along the single vine-like branch pushing up through the center of the caudex. The caudex resembles a turtle shell in my opinion, suggesting a common name for another species in the genus, turtle back (Dioscorea elephantipes (and if you’d like a challenge, spot the botanical terminology error in that fact sheet)).
I took this picture at Sherman Library and Gardens in Newport Beach, California. If you ever have a chance to visit this garden, please do! It’s a beautiful little place The cactus and succulent garden is incredible in its species diversity, specimen quality, and design (not to mention the hand-harvested boulders and minerals).
This Dioscorea is native from northeast Mexico south to Panama. The part of the plant that looks like a turtle shell is called a caudex (hence, it is a caudiciform plant). This massive storage unit helps the Mexican yam to survive a range of temperatures and habitats, including arid rocky outcrops.
Dioecious, not monoecious
Here’s what I believe is incorrect:
“The plants are monoecious, that means the flowering sexes are found on separate plants.”
Instead, monoecious means that the reproductive organs are on the same plant. The incorrect definition refers to dioecious.
Really wild!!
Cool, can it walk?
Another WOW plant from BPotD!. How big is this specimen? Any idea how old it might be??
I absolutely love this site. While I got an A in Plant Taxonomy (Munz, California Flowering Plants) 40+ years ago, I am now an artist, and just love the pictures as well as the language of the scientific commentary on the plants. What wild descriptive language. What beauty. What insight in to nature. And daily. You are great.
Hard to believe this is in the yam group! Another Genus (Testudinaria) was or is used for it. The U. of Maryland mascot is ‘Testudo’ the terripin.
Not Dioecious,
Dioscera after the ancient greek Dioscorius I think there are also new world representative/relatives
AY.
plant the above and it will
walk right of the pot at night
Wow! What a wonderful exotic plant. A google image search will yield lots more photos showing the whole plant with foliage.
Wow. What a plant, and what a picture. Such great depth of field and color balance in what looks to be a rather difficult overexposure-inviting terrain. I take it that the male and female flowers really are on different plants… Is this one in the “deciduous” stage with only the stipule-like gadgets on the stems where the leaves have been?
Thank you Ruth, really interesting.
It is really delicious too.