SimplePlant

Dioscoreaceae

Chinese yam

Dioscorea polystachya Turcz.

Family
Dioscoreaceae
Genus
Dioscorea

Pet and kid safety: not checked yet. Check pet-safe plants

Chinese yam: Dioscorea polystachya
Photo: James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

Is yours looking unwell? Scan your plant — free

Common names

By language (5)
Arabic
بطاطا صينية, أنيام
Chinese
家山藥, 山药, 怀山药, 怀山藥, 淮山, 薯蓣, 薯蓣*(山药、恒春薯蓣), 家山药
English
Chinese yam, Cinnamon-vine, Nagaimo
French
Igname de Chine, Nagaimo
Slovenian
Kitajska dioskoreja, Batata

Synonyms

  • Dioscorea batatas Decne.
  • Dioscorea batatas f. clavata Makino
  • Dioscorea batatas f. daikok Makino
  • Dioscorea batatas f. flabellata Makino
  • Dioscorea batatas f. rakuda Makino
  • Dioscorea batatas f. tsukune Makino
  • Dioscorea cayenensis var. pseudobatatas Hauman
  • Dioscorea decaisneana Carrière
  • Dioscorea doryphora Hance
  • Dioscorea polystachya f. elongata Nakai
  • Dioscorea polystachya f. tsukune Nakai
  • Dioscorea potaninii Prain & Burkill
  • Dioscorea pseudobatatas (Hauman) Herter
  • Dioscorea rosthornii Diels
  • Dioscorea swinhoei Rolfe

Flowers

In flower
July (from 8 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Photos

More in Dioscorea

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). About our plant data.