The leaves are of a medium or dark green, and do not spread 

 themselves fiat but the sides rise up, particularlv towards the base,. 

 and the midrib takes a curve backwards. The.v are cordate-ovate 

 when flattened in most of the races grown, but as the annexed out- 

 line drawings of the two flattened leaves show, may be elongated 

 from this. The lower surface is paler than the upper. As all 

 parts of the plant, they are quite glabrous. Usually they are about 

 10 — 12 cm. long by 6 — 7 cm. broad. 



Leaves of the White Guinea Yam, one quarter natural size. That on the 

 right the form which most races exhibit; that on the left an extreme leaf of the 

 race Efura. 



On the upper parts of the plant the side branches show a 

 tendency to droop from the horizontal, and to die abruptly so a.s 

 to end with a pai^ of fully developed leaves. The petioles which 

 are quite as long as the blades carry the leaves raised above the 

 axis bearing them, and from the top of the petiole the blade is in- 

 clined downwards, facing towards the light, with the tip decurved 

 towards the eartli. 



In the axils of the remoter leaves of the branches inflorescences 

 ari.se. If male there are 1 — 4 spikes in each axil, attaining 4 cm. 

 in length, and taking a forward direction from the axis which 

 l^ears them. A spike about 4 cm. long ma.v carry 24 flowers, spaced 

 about their own diameter apart. These flowers take an angle of 

 about 60° to the axis. 



The male flowers have a rather broad Imsc, but not so broad as 

 in those Asiatic Dioscoreas where it presses the bract hack against 

 the axis: but the bract carries the bud like a bracket. The 

 three sepals are greenish below, and yellow above ; they Ijroaden 

 gradually througli two thirds of their length, and then narrow 

 quickly and obtusely. The petals are similar, just a little smaller 

 and a little more obovate: they are slightly thicker. In anthesis 

 the sepals part to half their length, and the petals at their tips, 

 making a narrow way to the six introrse anthers whicli with their 

 short filaments fill the whole of the interior of the flower. The 

 filaments are half as long as the anthers. The flowers are very 

 fragrant. 



The female flowers are in spikes about 15 cm. long: the 

 yellowish sepals and petals are broadly ovate. The capsules are- 



