White yam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dioscorea cayenensis subsp. rotundata |
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| White yam | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Dioscoreales |
| Family: | Dioscoreaceae |
| Genus: | Dioscorea |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: |
D. c. subsp. rotundata
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| Trinomial name | |
| Dioscorea cayenensis subsp. rotundata (Poir.) J.Miège
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The white yam (also called West African yam, Guinea yam, or white ñame) is a type of yam. It comes from Africa. This plant is very important because it is one of the most grown yams in the world. A special kind of white yam is called Kokoro.
Sometimes, scientists think of the white yam as its own separate plant species. They see it as different from Dioscorea cayenensis.
Growing the White Yam
How the White Yam Was First Grown
The white yam first grew from wild plants. These wild plants were likely Dioscorea praehensilis and maybe D. abyssinica. People started growing white yams in West Africa. This happened along the Atlantic coast. We do not know exactly when this began. There is not enough information to tell how long ago it was.
Where White Yams Are Grown Today
Dioscorea cayenensis subsp. rotundata is grown in many parts of West Africa. This includes countries like Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Nigeria.
