Yam (vegetable) - Description

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

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