Morphological differences were found between the four clades and served
as diagnostic characters in an identification key to distinguish the
four distinct species (see Identification key below); these
morphological features matched the genetic and niche data of these taxa.
Our multidisciplinary approach combining genetic, spatial and
morphometric data has delimited four taxa at species level, three
species in the previously recognized Dioscorea communis sensu
lato , namely D. communis sensu stricto , D. edulis andD. cretica , plus D. orientalis .