I YAM DIFFERENT
Oct 11, 2017
3 minutes
Words Jennifer Stackhouse
IN THE VEGIE PATCH
Yam label
Common name: Yam, water yam, winged yam
Botanical name: Dioscorea alata
Family: Dioscoraceae
Aspect and soil: Sun to part shade; deep, moist, fertile soil
Best climate: Tropics, subtropics, warm temperate coastal zones
Habit: Perennial tuber
Propagation: Tuber
Difficulty: Easy
Common names can be a minefield and yam is one of those plant names that are confusing. The name yam is used to describe several different vegetables including sweet potato or kumara () and an edible oxalis (), also known as oca or oka. Taro is another starchy vegetable often called a yam. What all these different yams have in common is they have a starchy tuber that’s an important food.
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