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 .