Chinese yam
Dioscorea divaricata

Family: Dioscoreaceae

What it is like

A yam. It grows each year from the tuber. A vine with slender stems armed with scattered short spines near the base. It twines to the right. The tubers are slender, fleshy and narrow. They can be 2 m long and 10 cm across. They grow deep in the soil. The leaves are simple and opposite. The leaf stalk is 7 cm long. Leaves are spear shaped and 10 to 18 cm long. The flowers are very small and yellowish green and borne in flower clusters in the axils of leaves. The male flower stalks can be 60 cm long. The female flower stalks can be 18 cm long. The fruit are divided into 3 semicircular lobes and contain flat winged seeds. (It is similar to Dioscorea nummularia)

There are about 650 species of Dioscorea.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in forests and thickets at low and medium altitudes. In the Philippines found in Pangasinan, Bataan, Rizal and Laguna.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, Burundi, Central Africa, China, Congo, East Africa, India, Japan, North America, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia, USA

How it is used for food

The tubers are eaten boiled or baked.

Edible parts

Tubers, root

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Bakliakang, Dulian, Kiroi, Pakit, Sulian

Synonyms

Dioscorea foxworthyi Prain & Burkill; Dioscorea oxyphylla R. Knuth; Dioscorea soror Prain and Burkill; Dioscorea batatas;