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Scientific Name:Dioscorea species
Common Name(s): Sweet potato, Yam
Edible: yes
Medicinal: yes
Parts Used: root
Logos 13 Aug, 2008
Description: These plants are vines that creep along the ground. They have alternate, heart-or arrow-shaped leaves. Their rootstock may be very large and weigh many kilograms.
Current Rating: 0.0000
Logos 13 Aug, 2008
Habitat and Distribution: True yams are restricted to tropical regions where they are an important food crop. Look for yams in fields, clearings, and abandoned gardens. They are found in rain forests, semievergreen seasonal forests, and scrub and thorn forests in the tropics. In warm temperate areas, they are found in seasonal hardwood or mixed hardwood-coniferous forests, as well as some mountainous areas.
Current Rating: 0.0000
Logos 13 Aug, 2008
Edible Parts: Boil the rootstock and eat it as a vegetable.
Current Rating: 0.0000
danmc 22 Apr, 2009
You may also know this plant as an "air potato". Besides the roots which need to be cooked, it grows little pea-sized tubers in the air which may be prepared like you would a potato. Taste is similar.