Dioscoreaceae
Water yam
Dioscorea alata
- Family
- Dioscoreaceae
- Genus
- Dioscorea
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Common names
By language (17)
- Arabic
- اليام الأرجواني, يام أرجواني
- Bangla
- চুপরি আলু, মাচা আলু, মেটে আলু, মোম আলু
- Chinese
- 云饼山药, 参薯, 大薯, 山药, 毛薯, 理毛条, 田薯, 紫薯
- Czech
- Sladký fialový brambor, Ube
- English
- Water yam, Greater yam, Purple yam, Ube
- Esperanto
- Ube-ignamo, Ubo
- Filipino
- Ubi
- French
- Cambar, Cambarre, Igname ailé, Igname Saint-Martin, Kambar
- Igbo
- Purple yam
- Indonesian
- Ubi kelapa
- Japanese
- ウォーターヤム, ウォーター・ヤム, オキナワヤマイモ, シンショ, タイワンヤマイモ, ダイショ, デンショ, パープルヤム
- Korean
- Korean, 우베, 자색마
- Malay
- Ubi besar, Ubi jawa, Ubi kelebang, Ubi kenduduk, Ubi menjangan, Ubi nasi, Ubi tiang
- Marathi
- गोराडू
- Polish
- Ignam skrzydlaty, Pochrzyn skrzydlasty
- Spanish
- Ñame
- Vietnamese
- Củ cái, Củ cầm, Củ mỡ, Củ tía, Củ đỏ, Khoai bướu, Khoai long, Khoai ngà
Synonyms
- Dioscorea alata var. globosa (Roxb.) Prain
- Dioscorea alata var. purpurea (Roxb.) A.Pouchet
- Dioscorea alata var. tarri Prain & Burkill
- Dioscorea alata var. vera Prain & Burkill
- 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 sapinii De Wildemann
- Dioscorea vulgaris Miq.
- Elephantodon eburneus (Lour.) Salisb.
- Polynome alata (L.) Salisb.
Characteristics
- Growth habit
- Forb/herb, Vine
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- In the US and Canada
- Lower 48 states: introduced, Pacific Basin: introduced, Puerto Rico: introduced, U.S. Virgin Islands: introduced
Photos
FruitPhoto: Maria Janeiro, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Bella Lin, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Tauʻolunga, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons Photo: Carol ETIENNE, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Darren Oh, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Unknown author Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons Photo: Dr.Tej singh johari, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Obsidian Soul, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons Photo: Tek Mighi, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Alex Abair, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Obsidian Soul, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
More in Dioscorea
- Dioscorea communisDioscoreaceae
- Air yamDioscorea bulbiferaDioscoreaceae
- Chinese yamDioscorea polystachyaDioscoreaceae
- Lesser yamDioscorea esculentaDioscoreaceae
- Chinese yamDioscorea oppositifoliaDioscoreaceae
- Japanese yamDioscorea japonicaDioscoreaceae
- Fiveleaf yamDioscorea pentaphyllaDioscoreaceae
- Wild yamDioscorea villosaDioscoreaceae
- YamDioscorea hispidaDioscoreaceae
- Elephant's foot yamDioscorea elephantipesDioscoreaceae
- Yellow guinea yamDioscorea cayennensisDioscoreaceae
- Indian yamDioscorea trifidaDioscoreaceae
Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.