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  • Good Organic Gardening

    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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