Dioscorea polystachya seed
LATIN NAME: DIOSCOREA POLYSTACHYA
COMMON NAME: Chinese Yam
In the woods and the cultivated fields of the east, the Chinese yam climbs as a vigorous, herbaceous vine with the opposite or whorled, arrow-shaped leaves and the small, greenish flowers in the axillary spikes in the summer, the small, three-winged capsules holding the flat, winged seeds in the autumn, the long, edible tuber lying deep in the soil. It climbs quickly by the twining stems, and it stands the cold winters and the deep, well-drained soils well. Plant it in full sun with deep, fertile ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The Chinese yam holds a place in the studies of the yam tribe of the east, its winged capsules and its long tubers keeping it in view in the work on the edible tubers of the region and the medicinal roots of the traditional pharmacopoeia. The research looks at the way the twining stems climb the support, the winged capsules ripen and scatter, and the seed biology of the flat, winged seeds.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
In the kitchen garden and the wild border, the Chinese yam climbs with the arrow-shaped leaves and carries the long, edible tubers that have been dug and cooked in the east for thousands of years. The vigorous vine yields the white, slippery tubers of the autumn markets, and the plant makes the fine food crop, the medicinal vine and the plant of the deep, fertile garden. It is a plant for the sunny or shaded, deep and fertile place.
To grow the Chinese Yam from seed, sow the flat, winged seeds on moist, gritty soil.
Sow the flat, winged seeds on moist, gritty soil, and keep the young yams in the open, sunny spot. The winged capsules ripen with the autumn.
LATIN NAME: Dioscorea polystachya
COMMON NAME: Chinese Yam
The Chinese yam is a vigorous, twining, perennial vine of the gardens, and its heart-shaped, glossy leaves and its long, fine, edible tubers have made it one of the most useful of the food vines. The herb steadily grows into a twining, climbing stem, with a mature height of 5-10 metres. It is a species of the flowering vine in the yam family, and it is native to the eastern Asia, while it is grown for its fine, edible tubers, and it is known as the Chinese yam or the cinnamon vine.
The Chinese yam belongs to the yam family, Dioscoreaceae, and it is a species of the twining, perennial vine, native to the eastern Asia, while it is grown for its fine, edible tubers, and it is known as the Chinese yam. It is prized for its heart-shaped, glossy foliage and its long, fine, edible tubers.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The Chinese yam has a real and distinguished place in the research. It has been studied in the food science and the agriculture, since its long, fine, edible tubers have been a valued food of the eastern Asia for a very long time, and researchers have examined the tubers, their composition and their cultivation, while the growing of the yam has drawn attention in the international food and agricultural press as a food vine of the region. The plant has also been studied in the horticulture, since it is a vigorous, twining vine of the garden, and researchers have examined its growth and its cultivation, while the growing of the Chinese yam in the garden has been of continuing interest, and its heart-shaped, glossy foliage has been valued as a fine cover. The species has also been studied in the chemistry of the natural products, since the yams contain a range of the compounds, and researchers have examined the tubers and their constituents, while the traditional use of the yam has been of continuing interest, and the plant is best appreciated as a food vine and a subject of study rather than a casual remedy. For a vine of such usefulness, the Chinese yam has a rich and continuing record of study.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the Chinese yam is a generous vine of the garden. Its small, greenish-white flowers feed the many small insects, and its heart-shaped, glossy foliage gives a fine, leafy cover to the trellis and the fence, while its long, fine tubers feed the wildlife of the region. Grown on a trellis or a sunny fence, it makes a dense, glossy, leafy screen through the summer. It is a vigorous and forgiving vine, and it grows on happily once it has settled in.
Its economic value is real. The Chinese yam is prized for its long, fine, edible tubers, and its value has drawn attention in the international food and agricultural press as a food vine of the eastern Asia, while its tubers have been a valued food and its foliage a fine cover of the garden. For a grower, the Chinese yam is a rewarding and useful vine, and for a gardener it brings a heart-shaped, glossy, fine-tubered vine to the garden. The seeds are easy to start — sow them just below the surface of a pot of moist, free-draining compost, keep them gently watered, and theyll be sprouting steadily, growing on into a vigorous, glossy, twining vine.
You can plant the bulbetts anytime in the Spring or Summer, but I recommend planting one in a small pot with potting soil or topsoil in the late fall/early winter, cover it with some shredded leaves or a thin layer of wood chips, and label it so you dont forget what it is. Leave it in the uncovered outside over the winter. In the Spring, youll notice green and purple shoots emerging when the temperatures get fairly warm. You can then transplant the contents of the container to the desired location in the garden. Space each plant 4 to 6 inches (10 – 15 cm) apart, depending on how dense you want the foliage to be. For best results, the plants will need something to grow up, like a fence or trellis. I just use poplar tree trimmings and they seem to work fine. These bulbetts were produced from plants that were grown without the use of pesticides or added fertilizer. The plant is relatively drought-tolerant. I only water my plants once or twice over the growing season. They seem to appreciate heat and really take off with growth in the summer. In the fall, the foliage turns to beautiful yellow color before falling from the plant. After a year of growth, the plant will flower, which supposedly has a cinnamon fragrance… but I havent personally noticed that to be the case. Despite being a relatively uncommon plant grown for food here in the US, Japan apparently produces over 200,000,000 pounds (90,718,474 kg) a year of these plants to eat. The plants grow so easily and produce without needing much, if any, fertilizer so its easy to see why it is so popular in Japan. Each of these bulbetts will grow into an individual plant, which will produce dozens (if not hundreds) of its own bulbetts after a year or two of growth. That means once you have one specimen, you would have your own source of new tubers to grow new Chinese yam plants year after year. Yam