Plant Dioscorea spp.
Origin
Morphological features/ Identification marks
― Roots/tubers Short underground tubers and rhizomes, covered with fine roots.
― Stem Climbing herbs or shrubs, annual stems, with right or Left side twining, auxiliary aerial bulbils sometimes occur, rarely erect or creeping, terete or winged. Prickles or similar structures, mainly appearing towards base.
― Leaf Alternate leaves, rarely opposite in nature, simple and compound, mainly cordate with reticulate venation. Veins arising at the point of insertion of blade on petiole, spreading them converging towards apical forerunner tip.
― Flower/Fruits Simple or compound inflorescences, solitary or paired male and Female flowers. Fruit rarely a fleshy berry or one-winged samara.
Genetic Makeup Dioceous, 2x, 4x, 6x. 20–60 conventional chromosome the chromosome was determined asx = 10 for the various genotypes studied.
References Goswami et al., 2013; Norman et al., 2012
Plant Arracacoa xanthorrhiza
Origin Andean region, origin place, Andean South America is a place of domestication, Mexico known for high richness.
Morphological features/ Identification marks
― Roots/tubers The conical to cylindrical storage root, Clamp of tubers is found around main central roots.
― Stem Highly swollen compressed stem structure forms the central rootstock. The cormels derived from stem tissue comprise of nodes, internodes, and shedded leaves’ scars.
― Leaf 3–5 apical nodes on each cormel and long petioled 30–60 cm long leaves with a weakly developed basal sheath and the bipinnate blade is seen.
― Flower/Fruits Compound umbel inflorescence with 8–14 rays, carrying 10–25-flowered umbellets. Hermaphrodite or perfect flowers, on the outer umbellets. The actinomorphic flowers are with 5 petals, 5 stamens and 2 carpels, each with only 1 ovule giving rise to the epigynous, perfect flower.
Genetic Makeup Mitotic number of 44
References Elsayed et al., 2010; Hermann, 1997
Plant Maranta arundinacea
Origin Indigenous to tropical America
Morphological features/ Identification marks
― Roots/tubers Long, pointed tubers enclosed in bracts; scale leaves, fleshy, cylindrical, obovoid subterranean rhizomes. The rhizome module comprises 13–14 internodes and branching occurs only in the distal part of the module, the last 2–4 internodes after the curvature. The angles between successive modules present some conservation, although the level of branching of modules is variable (from 0- to 4-branched modules) and the angles between sister modules are not conserved.
― Stem Perennial plant growing to about 2 ft (0.61 m) tall, erect, herbaceous, dichotomously branched perennial, 60–180 cm high.
― Leaf Large lanceolate leaves
― Flower/Fruits Arrowroot has small white flowers and fruits approximately the size and shape of currants. White flowers arranged in twin clusters, which very rarely produce red seeds,
Genetic Makeup N = 4 or n = 6. variegatum chromosome number 18; arrowroot chromosome number 48.
References Mead, 2013; Chomicki, 2013; Vieira and Souza, 2008; Barclay et al., 2002; Sharma and Bhattaharyya, 1958; Wikipedia.org
Plant Cyperus esculentus
Origin Native to the North America and the United States.
Morphological features/ Identification marks
― Roots/tubers Unevenly globose hard-smooth, black-brown, tubers with 0.3–1.9 cm diameter, with apex buds only, tasting mildly like almond.
― Stem Stout, erect, trigonous cross-section found below the inflorescence. Solid/pithy, smooth, glabrous, 6–20 ′′ up to 3 ft long and 4–9 mm wide.
― Leaf Grass-like, basal, erect Leaves, up to 3 ft tall. Involucre of leaf-like bracts is present, with longest bract surpassing the inflorescence.
― Flower/Fruits Terminal, simple-compound umbellate, loose inflorescence, with 1–10 narrow, unequal rays subtending leaf-like, unequal bracts. Longest involucral bract much exceeding the umbel, often wider than basal leaves.
Genetic Makeup 2n = 108
References Halvorson and Guertin, 2003
Plant Metroxylon spp
Origin Center of diversity is believed to be New Guinea.
Morphological features/ Identification marks
― Roots/tubers A massive rhizome that produces suckers freely.
― Stem An erect trunk, about 10 m tall and 75 cm Thick, soboliferous. Crown of large pinnate leaves 5 m long with short petioles and leaf bases which clasp the stem.
― Leaf Length of petiole was highly variable
― Flower/Fruits Mass of inflorescences in the axils of the most distal leaves, giving a “terminal” inflorescence state.
Genetic Makeup n = 13
References Karim et al., 2008; Kjaer et al., 2004; Nakamura et al., 2004; Flach, 1997
Plant Oxalis tuberosa
Origin Andean origin
Morphological features/ Identification marks
― Roots/tubers Color variations in tuber surfaces, Secondary colors is also observed around the eyes. Ovoid, claviforme or cylindrical tubers with horizontal, slightly curved, short or long, superficial or deep tuber eyes is usually found. Short wide eyes or almost non-existent. Bracts covering eyes also occur.
― Stem Annual herbaceous plant erect at early developmental stages becoming prostrate towards maturity. Stems color vary from yellowgreen-gray.
― Leaf Trifoliate leaves. Green leaflets in the upper face and purple or green on the underside.
― Flower/Fruits 4–5 hermaphrodite flowers make Inflorescences. 3 flower morphs: longstyled with mid- and short-level stamens/anthers, mid-styled, with long- and short-level stamens/anthers and short-styled, with long- and mid-level stamens/anthers.The dehiscent capsule fruit with 5 locules present.
Genetic Makeup 2n = 8x = 64. Octoploid
References Malice, 2009; Malice and Baudoin, 2009; Emshwiller and Doyle, 1998
Plant Ullucus tuberosus
Origin Andean origin
Morphological features/ Identification marks
― Roots/tubers Round, cylindrical, elongated or twisted widely colored (white to red) tuber. Superficial tuber eyes without bracts.
― Stem An erect, compact and mucilaginous annual plant. Stems angular, succulent, and 30–60 cm height with clear yellow-green to red-gray Stem color.
― Leaf Leaves are simple and can present four shapes.