Yellow Guinea yam
Dioscorea cayennensis

Family: Dioscoreaceae

What it is like

A yam with a spiny vine. There are more spines near the base. The stem can be 10-12 m long. Plants twine to the right-hand. The leaves are pale green and heart shaped near the base. They are 8-10 cm long by 3-6 cm wide. They are rather leathery. The leaves are shiny on the top surface. There are 7 veins or nerves running out from the base of the leaf. They can be produced opposite each other or one after another along the stem. The flowers occur either singly or in pairs in the axils of leaves. The tubers are large and yellow fleshed. The head of the tuber is hard and woody. There are many different cultivated varieties.

There are about 650 species of Dioscorea.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It occurs in the forest zones. It is less tolerant of drought than the White Guinea Yam. It does not grow where there is a long dry season.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Antilles, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, Central America, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guiana, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Madagascar, Mali, New Caledonia, Nigeria, Pacific, Panama, Puerto Rico, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South America, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, Togo, Trinidad, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela, West Africa, West Indies, Zambia

How it is used for food

The tuber is cooked and eaten. It is roasted, boiled or fried. A tea is made from the leaves.

It is a commercially cultivated vegetable. Important in West Africa and now in some places in the West Indies.

Edible parts

Tubers, root, vegetable

How it is grown

Tubers do not become dormant when they are mature. They cannot therefore be stored for long times and must be eaten or replanted. The tubers can be removed leaving the top part in the ground and another crop of tubers will be produced meaning it can be harvested throughout the year. Most commonly the head of the tuber is used for replanting. The tuber can be cut into setts and the different parts used. A spacing of 1.2 m between plants is considered suitable. Tubers are often planted in fairly wide deep holes.

Growth of the yam is almost continuous. It takes almost 12 months to reach maturity. In areas of good rainfall it gives good yields. Tubers can weigh between 2 and 10 kg. Yields of 30 t per ha are achievable.

Its other names

Local names

Affoo, Affou, Affun yam, Atous temps, Attoto yam, Ayu, Balugu, Cara de Para, Congo amarillo, Cut and come again yam, Dye yam, Egera, Endale, Fusaka, Hard yam, Haya, Lagos yam, Luliga, Mapuey morado, Mulugu, Name amarillo, Name chomo, Name negro, Ndoo, Negro yam, Niame, Ovihazo, Twelve months yam, Yellow yam

Synonyms

Dioscorea aculeata Balb. ex Kunth; Dioscorea camerunensis R. Knuth; Dioscorea moma De Willd.; Dioscorea occidentalis R. Knuth; Dioscorea pruinosa A. Chev.; Dioscorea rotundata Poir.;