Dioscorea alata

"Water yam" redirects here. For the book, see Water Yam (artist's book).

Dioscorea alata
Sliced purple yam
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Dioscoreales
Family: Dioscoreaceae
Genus: Dioscorea
Species:
D. alata
Binomial name
Dioscorea alata
Synonyms[2]
List
    • Dioscorea atropurpurea Roxb.
    • Dioscorea colocasiifolia Pax
    • Dioscorea eburina Lour.
    • Dioscorea eburnea Lour.
    • Dioscorea globosa Roxb.
    • Dioscorea javanica Queva
    • Dioscorea purpurea Roxb.
    • Dioscorea rubella Roxb.
    • Dioscorea sapinii De Wild.
    • Dioscorea sativa Munro
    • Dioscorea vulgaris Miq.
    • Elephantodon eburnea (Lour.) Salisb.
    • Polynome alata (L.) Salisb.

Dioscorea alata – also called ube (/ˈuːbɛ, -beɪ/), ubi, purple yam, or greater yam, among many other names – is a species of yam (a tuber). The tubers are usually a vivid violet-purple to bright lavender in color (hence the common name), but some range in color from cream to plain white. It is sometimes confused with taro and the Okinawa sweet potato beniimo (紅芋) (Ipomoea batatas cv. Ayamurasaki), however D. alata is also grown in Okinawa. With its origins in the Asian tropics, D. alata has been known to humans since ancient times.[3]

  1. ^  Dioscorea alata was first described and published in Species Plantarum 2: 1033. 1753. "Name - Dioscorea alata L." Tropicos. Saint Louis, Missouri: Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  2. ^ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species".
  3. ^ "Dioscorea alata". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved May 26, 2011.