Dioscoreales

Dioscoreales Temporal range: Mid Cretaceous – Recent 116–0 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Dioscorea communis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Dioscoreales Mart.
Type species
Dioscorea villosa L.
Families
Burmanniaceae Blume (45) Dioscoreaceae R.Br. (46) Nartheciaceae Fr. ex Bjurzon (44)
Synonyms
Burmanniales Heintze Nartheciales Reveal & Zomlefer Taccales Dumortier Tamales Dumortier Dioscoreanae Reveal & Doweld Burmanniidae Heintze

The Dioscoreales are an order of monocotyledonous flowering plants in modern classification systems, such as the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group and the Angiosperm Phylogeny Web. Within the monocots Dioscoreales are grouped in the lilioid monocots where they are in a sister group relationship with the Pandanales. Of necessity the Dioscoreales contain the family Dioscoreaceae which includes the yam (Dioscorea) that is used as an important food source in many regions around the globe. Older systems tended to place all lilioid monocots with reticulate veined leaves (such as Smilacaceae and Stemonaceae together with Dioscoraceae) in Dioscoreales. As currently circumscribed by phylogenetic analysis using combined morphology and molecular methods, Dioscreales contains many reticulate veined vines in Dioscoraceae, it also includes the myco-heterotrophic Burmanniaceae and the autotrophic Nartheciaceae. The order consists of three families, 22 genera and about 850 species.