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Scientific Name | Dioscorea buchananii Benth. subsp. undatiloba (Baker) Wilkin |
Higher Classification | Monocotyledons |
Family | DIOSCOREACEAE |
Synonyms | Dioscorea junodii Burtt Davy, Dioscorea undatiloba Baker |
National Status |
Status and Criteria | Data Deficient - Insufficient Information |
Assessment Date | 2016/08/17 |
Assessor(s) | P. Wilkin, M. Muasya & L. von Staden |
Justification | A widespread, but very rare and poorly known taxon. Based on current data, its risk of extinction cannot be assessed. |
Distribution |
Endemism | South African endemic |
Provincial distribution | KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo |
Range | Known from a few scattered records from Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal. |
Habitat and Ecology |
Major system | Terrestrial |
Major habitats | KwaZulu-Natal Sandstone Sourveld, KwaZulu-Natal Hinterland Thornveld, Tzaneen Sour Bushveld, Ohrigstad Mountain Bushveld, Soutpansberg Summit Sourveld, Northern Escarpment Quartzite Sourveld |
Description | Uncertain. It possibly occurs in open grassland. |
Threats |
The threats to this taxon are not well understood, and difficult to infer as its precise habitat is not known. In KwaZulu-Natal, it is likely to have declined due to habitat loss to urban expansion, and may be locally extinct in the province. In Limpopo it has been recorded from densely populated rural areas, and is likely to be threatened by ongoing habitat loss and degradation due to expanding settlements, overgrazing and too-frequent burning of grasslands. |
Population |
This taxon is very rare, or otherwise overlooked and confused with other Dioscorea species. Most records date from the 1920s and earlier. Field surveys are needed to relocate this taxon at historical localities.
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Population trend | Unknown |
Assessment History |
Taxon assessed |
Status and Criteria |
Citation/Red List version | Dioscorea buchananii Benth. subsp. undatiloba (Baker) Wilkin | DDD | 2017.1 | Dioscorea undatiloba Baker | Data Deficient (Taxonomically Problematic) | Raimondo et al. (2009) | |
Bibliography |
Raimondo, D., von Staden, L., Foden, W., Victor, J.E., Helme, N.A., Turner, R.C., Kamundi, D.A. and Manyama, P.A. 2009. Red List of South African Plants. Strelitzia 25. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
Wilkin, P. and Muasya, A.M. 2015. Clarifying the Dioscorea buchananii Benth. species complex: a new potentially extinct subspecies for South Africa. PhytoKeys 48:51-72.
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Citation |
Wilkin, P., Muasya, M. & von Staden, L. 2016. Dioscorea buchananii Benth. subsp. undatiloba (Baker) Wilkin. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/02/11 |