Yam (vegetable) Yam (vegetable) Yam is the common name for some plant species in the genus "Dioscorea" (family Dioscoreaceae) that form edible tubers. Yams are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in many temperate and tropical world regions. The tubers themselves are also called "yams", having numerous cultivars and related species. In parts of the United States and Canada, "yam" is sometimes used to refer to varieties of the unrelated sweet potato ("Ipomoea batatas"). The name, yam, appears to derive from Portuguese "inhame" or Canarian (Spain) "ñame", which derived from West African languages during trade. The main
Perennial vegetable Perennial vegetable Perennial vegetables vegetables that are perennial, meaning the plants can live for more than two years. Some well known perennial vegetables from the temperate regions of the world include asparagus, artichoke and rhubarb. In the tropics cassava and taro are grown as vegetables, and these plants can live many years. Perennial vegetables are an integral part of many cultural diets around the world, particularly in tropical agriculture. Perennial vegetables fell out of favor in most of Europe, and other western influenced cultures, once industrial agriculture gained a foothold. Some of the older temperate varieties include: seakale, skirret, sorrel,