Yam, commonly known as yam, is also referred to as "Mashan" in some supermarkets in Hebei and other regions. It is a perennial herb with creeping stems that are often purple in color. The roots are cylindrical, and the leaves are opposite, ovate or elliptic in shape. The flowers are milky and dioecious, meaning male and female flowers occur on separate plants. The roots contain starch and protein, making them edible and widely used in various cuisines.
**Morphological Characteristics of Yam:**
The rhizome of the yam is thick and straight, capable of growing up to one meter long. The leaves are alternate, with some being opposite or even arranged in three rotations. They often appear between the leaves and buds. The leaf shapes vary significantly, ranging from triangular-ovate to triangular-broad ovate, and they can be shallow or deeply lobed. The flowers are dioecious and very small, typically greenish-white in color. Both male and female inflorescences are spikelike, with the male ones standing upright and the female ones drooping. The fruit is a capsule with three wings, and the plant is a perennial vine that spreads along the ground or grows vertically. Its leaves are alternate or sparsely opposite, simple or palmately compound, with entire, lobed, or divided edges. The flowers are either sessile or arranged in panicles, and the perianth consists of six segments, fused at the base. The stamens number six, sometimes three, and the female flowers resemble the male ones but lack functional stamens. The ovary is inferior, containing eight chambers, and the style has three distinct parts. The fruit can be a capsule or berry, and the seeds are winged for dispersal.
**Growth Habits of Yam:**
The first type of yam features a cylindrical stem and triangular-ovate to triangular-broad ovate leaves with a valvate base. The male inflorescence is spikelike and does not droop, while the female one is similar but ends with a stigma that splits into three parts. The capsules have three wings, with each chamber containing two seeds. The seeds are ovoid and surrounded by thin, chestnut-colored wings, approximately 6 mm wide, though the width may vary around the seed. Flowering occurs from June to August, and fruiting takes place from August to October.
The second type of yam reproduces vegetatively, with a cylindrical stem and heart-shaped leaves. This variety rarely produces flowers. Instead, it develops yam beans between the leaves. After the leaves wither in autumn and winter, the plant remains dormant, ready to regrow in the next season. This unique growth pattern makes it an important crop in many agricultural systems, especially in warmer climates.
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