Dioscorea composita

Dioscorea composita
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Dioscoreales
Family: Dioscoreaceae
Genus: Dioscorea
Species:
D. composita
Binomial name
Dioscorea composita
Synonyms[1][2]
  • Dioscorea tepinapensis Uline ex R.Knuth
  • Dioscorea tepinapensis var. aggregata Uline ex R.Knuth

Dioscorea composita, or barbasco, is a species of yam in the family Dioscoreaceae.[1][2] It is native to Mexico. It is notable for its role in the production of diosgenin, which is a precursor for the synthesis of hormones such as progesterone.[3] Russell Marker developed the extraction and manufacture of hormones from D. mexicana at Syntex, starting the trade of D. composita in Mexico. Marker also discovered that the composita variety had a much higher content of diosgenin than the mexicana variety, and therefore it came to replace the latter in the production of synthetic hormones.[4]

  1. ^ a b c "Dioscorea composita Hemsl". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Dioscorea composita Hemsl". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000. n.d. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  3. ^ "Dioscorea composita". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  4. ^ "AmericanHeritage.com / THE STORY OF THE PILL". Archived from the original on 2010-09-25. Retrieved 2012-04-30.