yam plant

/jæm plænt/

Other forms: yam plants

Definitions of yam plant

1. noun

   any of a number of tropical vines of the genus Dioscorea many having edible tuberous roots
   synonyms: yam

   types:

   Dioscorea alata, water yam, white yam

   grown in Australasia and Polynesia for its large root with fine edible white flesh

   Chinese yam, Dioscorea batata, cinnamon vine

   hardy Chinese vine naturalized in United States and cultivated as an ornamental climber for its glossy heart-shaped cinnamon-scented leaves and in the tropics for its edible tubers

   Dioscorea bulbifera, air potato

   yam of tropical Africa and Asia cultivated for it large tubers

   Dioscorea trifida, cush-cush

   tropical American yam with small yellow edible tubers

   type of:

   vine

   a plant with a weak stem that derives support from climbing, twining, or creeping along a surface