Description
Yam Sweet potatoes and yam, freshly pulled out of ground. Sweet potatoes and yam varieties come in many natural colors.Yams are monocots, related to lilies and grasses. Native to Africa and Asia, yams vary in size from that of a small potato to over 60 kilograms. There are over 600 varieties of yams and 95 percent of these crops are grown in Africa.
- Differences between yam and sweet potato
Compared to sweet potatoes, yams are starchier and drier. Yams are a monocot (a plant having one embryonic seed leaf) and from the Dioscoreaceae family. Sweet Potatoes, in parts of the world called ‘yams’, are a dicot (a plant having two embryonic seed leaves) and are from the Convolvulacea family. The table below lists some important differences between yam and sweet potato.
| Factor | Sweet Potato | Yam |
|---|---|---|
| Plant Family | Morningglory | Yam |
| Chromosomes | 2n=90 | 2n=20 |
| Flower | Monoecious | Dioecious |
| Origin | Tropical America (Peru, Ecuador) | West Africa, Asia |
| Edible part | Storage root | Tuber |
| Appearance | Smooth, with thin skin | Rough, scaly |
| Shape | Short, blocky, tapered ends | Long, cylindrical, some with "toes" |
| Mouth feel | Moist | Dry |
| Taste | Sweet | Starchy |
| Beta carotene | Usually high | Usually very low |
| Propagation | Transplants/vine cuttings | Tuber pieces |
Read more about this topic: Yam (vegetable)
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