Dioscorea delavayi Franch.

Tubers vertical, cylindric. Stem twining to left, appressed puberulent when young, glabrescent. Leaves alternate, palmately 3- or 5-foliolate; leaflets obovate to narrowly elliptic, sparsely appressed puberulent, sometimes adaxially glabrescent; lateral leaflets usually obliquely ovate to obliquely ovate-elliptic, 2.5--16 × 1--10 cm, margin entire, apex acuminate or sharply so. Male spikes solitary or a few together, pendent, lax; rachis and pedicels puberulent. Male flowers: sessile; bracteoles sparsely puberulent or glabrescent; perianth lobes 1--2 × 1.5--2 mm, glabrous abaxially; stamens 3, inserted at base of outer perianth lobes; staminodes 3, large. Female spikes solitary of 2 or 3 together; peduncle and bracteoles puberulent. Female flowers: perianth abaxially and ovary puberulent. Capsule obovoid-oblong or oblong, (1--)1.2--1.7(--2) cm, sparsely pubescent; wings 0.4--0.6 cm wide. Seeds inserted near apex of capsule; wing pointing toward capsule base. Fl. Jun--Sep, fr. Aug--Nov.

N Guizhou, W Sichuan, Yunnan.

* Secondary scrub forests, forest margins; 2000--3000 m.

Dioscorea burkillii R. Knuth; D. engleriana R. Knuth; D. henryi (Prain & Burkill) C. T. Ting; D. kamoonensis Kunth var. delavayi (Franchet) Prain & Burkill; D. kamoonensis var. engleriana (R. Knuth) Prain & Burkill; D. kamoonensis var. henryi Prain & Burkill; D. rotundifoliolata R. Knuth.