Yam, Chinese, dioscorea batatas syn opposita

Chinese Yam is a pretty hardy tuber crop and I grew it back in Katoomba. Chinese yam is a good alternative to the more tropical D. alata for those living in climates with frost. This yam is winter dormant even in warmer coastal climates.

So far, I did not harvest either the tubers or the air bulbils, and I cannot tell what the taste is like. This yam is definitively pretty and easy to grow. As any tuber it does not like water logged soil.

There is much botanical confusion about the yam family. Although we are diligent to identify the species correctly, there are poisonous members of the yam family.

The leaves show a bit of grasshopper damage.