Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
yam
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images
winged yam harvest festival in Papua New Guinea water yam Chinese yam air-potato yam Sweet potato and yam
Quizzes
Chef tossing vegetables in a frying pan over a burner (skillet, food).
What’s on the Menu? Vocabulary Quiz
Red and yellow cherry tomatoes, some forming a question mark, against a light blue background. (organic, fruits, vegetables)
Fruit or Vegetable? A Quiz
Venus's-flytrap. Venus's-flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) one of the best known of the meat-eating plants. Carnivorous plant, Venus flytrap, Venus fly trap
Plants: From Cute to Carnivorous
Read Next
Plant seedlings emerging from rich fertile soil
Do Plants Feel Pain?
Yams and sweet potato, root vegetables
What’s the Difference Between Sweet Potatoes and Yams?
Flower bingo
Britannica’s Flower Bingo
Discover
NBA Lakers Celtics Finals Kevin Garnett shooting.
10 Great Sports Rivalries
Candles Burning On Table In Church
What Is the Most Widely Practiced Religion in the World?
African Americans demonstrating for voting rights in front of the White House as police and others watch, March 12, 1965. One sign reads, "We demand the right to vote everywhere." Voting Rights Act, civil rights.
Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement
Space race (1957-1969) infographic between United States (U.S.) and Russia. America, Soviet Union, U.S.S.R., space exploration
Timeline of the Space Race, 1957–69
Illustration for Demystified "How Dangerous is Quicksand"
How Deadly Is Quicksand?
All Saints Day. All Souls Day. Candles in cemetery in Poland on All Saints Day, November 1. All Souls Day, November 2. Christian church, All Hallows, Solemnity of All Saints, Feast of All Saints, purgatory, Roman Catholic church
7 Unique Burial Rituals Across the World
Flags of the countries of the world (flagpoles).
How Many Countries Are There in the World?

yam: Facts & Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/yam
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As Dioscorea • tropical yam

Photos

winged yam
harvest festival in Papua New Guinea
water yam
Chinese yam
air-potato yam
See All Images and Interactives →

Related Topics and References

Topics

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Chef tossing vegetables in a frying pan over a burner (skillet, food).
What’s on the Menu? Vocabulary Quiz
Venus's-flytrap. Venus's-flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) one of the best known of the meat-eating plants. Carnivorous plant, Venus flytrap, Venus fly trap
Plants: From Cute to Carnivorous
Red and yellow cherry tomatoes, some forming a question mark, against a light blue background. (organic, fruits, vegetables)
Fruit or Vegetable? A Quiz
Demystified
Yams and sweet potato, root vegetables
What’s the Difference Between Sweet Potatoes and Yams?
Plant seedlings emerging from rich fertile soil
Do Plants Feel Pain?