Indian yam

Family: Dioscoreaceae. Cultivated and wild-growing plants of tropical Asia.

The edible tubers reach 2 m in length. The stem is four-winged or sharply four-angled, with small tubers in the leaf axils. Leaves opposite, ovate or oblong, with a deeply cordate base and an acute apex, 10-20 cm long, with 7-9 main veins. Flowers of male plants in narrow panicles 20-30 cm long. Capsule elliptical. 2n=20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80. Tested in Sukhumi. Farther north, tubers are recommended to be stored for the winter in a frost-free room.