Dioscorea balcanica

Dioscorea balcanica
Conservation status
	; Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Dioscoreales
Family:	Dioscoreaceae
Genus:	Dioscorea
Species:	D. balcanica
Binomial name
	Dioscorea balcanica; Košanin

Dioscorea balcanica, the Balkan yam,^[1] is a herbaceous perennial in the family Dioscoreaceae.

Description

Dioscorea balcanica reaches a height of 2–5 m (7–16 ft). The flowers are cup-shaped, arranged in racemes, and produce loculicidal capsules.

Dioscorea balcanica was named in 1914 by Nedeljko Košanin (1874–1934), manager of the Jevremovac Botanical Garden in Belgrade, Serbia from 1906 to 1934.^[3]

Dioscorea balcanica is native to the Balkans, in Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Albania.^[1]^[4] It is a relict species and the only wild Dioscorea species found on the Balkan Peninsula where it is endemic. It is considered an endangered species and has been placed under protection.^[1]^[5]

Shuka, L.; Matevski, V. & Caković, D. (2018). "Dioscorea balcanica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018 e.T13133568A18612550. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T13133568A18612550.en. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
"Dioscorea balcanica Košanin". Tropicos. Saint Louis, Missouri: Missouri Botanical Garden.
"Dioscorea balcanica Košanin". eMonocot. 2014. Distribution maps
Košanin, Nedelyko (1914). "Dioscorea balcanica". Österreichische Botanische Zeitschrift (in German). 64: 38–39. doi:10.1007/BF01644279. S2CID 29806734.
Šavikin-Fodulović, Katarina; Grubišić, Dragoljub; Ćulafić, Ljubinka; Menković, Nebojša; Ristić, Mihailo (June 1998). "Diosgenin and phytosterols content in five callus lines of Dioscorea balcanica". Plant Science. 135 (1): 63–67. doi:10.1016/S0168-9452(98)00036-3.
"Dioscorea balcanica". Hortipedia. Retrieved 3 February 2016.