Testudinaria

noun

Tes·​tu·​di·​nar·​ia

in some classifications

: a small genus of southern African desert vines that is characterized by huge edible rootstocks growing partly above ground and by seeds winged only at the apex and that is usually included in the genus Dioscorea

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin testudin-, testudo tortoise + New Latin -aria; from the surface of the rootstock often becoming cracked into pieces resembling tortoise shells

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