Dioscoreaceae
Wild yam
Dioscorea villosa
- Family
- Dioscoreaceae
- Genus
- Dioscorea
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Common names
By language (8)
- Arabic
- ديسقوريا وبرية, أنيام, بطاطا صينية
- arz
- ديسقوريا وبريه
- Chinese
- 大西洋薯蓣, 长柔毛薯蓣
- English
- Wild yam
- German
- Wilde Yams
- Hungarian
- Ideggyökér, Mexikói jamgyökér
- Malay
- Ubi kuning
- Persian
- یام وحشی
Synonyms
- Dioscorea cliffortiana Lam.
- Dioscorea glauca Muhl. ex L.C.Beck
- Dioscorea hexaphylla Raf.
- Dioscorea hirticaulis Bartlett
- Dioscorea lloydiana E.H.L.Krause
- Dioscorea longifolia Raf.
- Dioscorea megaptera Raf.
- Dioscorea paniculata Michx.
- Dioscorea paniculata var. glabrifolia Bartlett
- Dioscorea pruinosa Kunth
- Dioscorea quaternata Walter
- Dioscorea quaternata var. glauca (Muhl. ex L.C.Beck) Fernald
- Dioscorea quinata J.F.Gmel.
- Dioscorea quinata Walter
- Dioscorea repanda Raf.
- Dioscorea sativa L.
- Dioscorea villosa f. glabrifolia (Bartlett) Fernald
- Dioscorea villosa f. villosa
- Dioscorea villosa subsp. glabrifolia (Bartlett) W.Stone
- Dioscorea villosa subsp. glauca (Muhl. ex L.C.Beck) R.Knuth
- Dioscorea villosa subsp. hirticaulis (Bartlett) R.Knuth
- Dioscorea villosa subsp. paniculata (Michx.) R.Knuth
- Dioscorea villosa subsp. quaternata (Walter) R.Knuth
- Dioscorea villosa var. glabra J.Lloyd ex A.Gray
- Dioscorea villosa var. glabrifolia (Bartlett) S.F.Blake
- Dioscorea villosa var. glabrifolia (Bartlett) W.Stone
- Dioscorea villosa var. hirticaulis (Bartlett) H.E.Ahles
- Dioscorea villosa var. laeviuscula Alph.Wood
- Dioscorea villosa var. villosa
- Dioscorea waltheri Desf.
- Merione villosa (L.) Salisb.
Characteristics
- Growth habit
- Forb/herb, Vine
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- In the US and Canada
- Canada: native, Lower 48 states: native, Puerto Rico: native
Photos
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Phyzome assumed, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Fritzflohrreynolds, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Yercaud-elango, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Yercaud-elango, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Yercaud-elango, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Brucewinter, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Brucewinter, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Rudolphous, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Alan Prather, CC BY 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
More in Dioscorea
- Dioscorea communisDioscoreaceae
- Water yamDioscorea alataDioscoreaceae
- Air yamDioscorea bulbiferaDioscoreaceae
- Chinese yamDioscorea polystachyaDioscoreaceae
- Lesser yamDioscorea esculentaDioscoreaceae
- Chinese yamDioscorea oppositifoliaDioscoreaceae
- Japanese yamDioscorea japonicaDioscoreaceae
- Fiveleaf yamDioscorea pentaphyllaDioscoreaceae
- 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.