DIOSCOREA BUCHANANII

This member of the Dioscoreaceae family was given this name by George Bentham in 1882. It is found in Angola, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zaïre, Zambia and Zimbabwe, growing in a rich but well drained soil with some water and some sun. The caudex can grow to 30 centimetres in length,and the vines can reach nine metres. Dioscorea is named after Pedianos Dioscorides, a Greek physician if the 1st century A.D. The species is named after John Buchanan, 1821-1903, a Scottish clergyman, living in South Africa. The leaves by B.T. Wursten, Zambiaflora.com. The flowers by B.T. Wursten, Zambiaflora.com.