True Yam

Dioscorea species

Dioscoreaceae

Not a sweet potato — a true tropical yam vine producing large starchy tubers for long storage. Cook before eating.

EdiblePerennialHeat-loverSurvival cropStaple caloriesVigorous

True Yam (Dioscorea species) illustration — Texas Roots plant database, by Jordan Polasek

Sun

Full sun to part shade

Water

Moderate

Soil

Rich, deep

pH

5.5–6.5

Hardiness

Tender perennial vine

Height

Vining, vigorous

Spacing

24–36 in

Days to harvest

180–300

What it is

True Yam (Dioscorea species) is in the Dioscoreaceae family. Not a sweet potato — a true tropical yam vine producing large starchy tubers for long storage. Cook before eating.

How to grow it

It wants full sun to part shade, water it moderate, and give it rich, deep soil. Target a soil pH around 5.5–6.5. Space plants about 24–36 in apart. Expect roughly 180–300. Tender perennial vine.

How it's used

True Yam is used: cooked tubers.

🔎 How to identify it

Heart-shaped leaves
Twining vine (often winged stems)
Large underground tubers

Edibility

PartsTubers (cooked)

UsesCooked tubers

CautionMany wild Dioscorea are toxic raw; grow known edible types and cook them.

🌤 Before you plant: check the live 7-day garden weather to time it right for frost and heat.

Part of the free Texas Roots plant database, compiled by Jordan Polasek from his greenhouse in El Campo, Texas. Free to read and share. If it helped, the best thanks is to grow something.