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Fiveleaf yam facts for kids

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fiveleaf yam
Starr 030807-0029 Dioscorea pentaphylla.jpg
Scientific classification
Genus:
Dioscorea
Species:
pentaphylla
Synonyms
  • Botryosicyos pentaphyllus (L.) Hochst.
  • Dioscorea triphylla L.
  • Dioscorea digitata Mill.
  • Dioscorea spinosa Burm.
  • Ubium quadrifarium J.F.Gmel.
  • Ubium scandens J.St.-Hil.
  • Dioscorea kleiniana Kunth
  • Hamatris triphylla (L.) Salisb.
  • Dioscorea jacquemontii Hook.f.
  • Dioscorea globifera R.Knuth
  • Dioscorea codonopsidifolia Kamik.
  • Dioscorea changjiangensis F.W.Xing & Z.X.Li
Mountain yam, hawaii, cooked, steamed, without salt
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 343 kJ (82 kcal)
20 g
0.08 g
Protein
1.73 g
Vitamins Quantity
%DV
Thiamine (B1)
7%
0.086 mg
Riboflavin (B2)
1%
0.014 mg
Niacin (B3)
1%
0.13 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)
10%
0.48 mg
Vitamin B6
16%
0.209 mg
Folate (B9)
3%
12 μg
Minerals Quantity
%DV
Iron
3%
0.43 mg
Magnesium
3%
10 mg
Manganese
13%
0.283 mg
Phosphorus
6%
40 mg
Potassium
17%
495 mg
Sodium
1%
12 mg
Zinc
3%
0.32 mg

Link to USDA Database entry
Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults.

Dioscorea pentaphylla is a species of flowering plant in the yam family known by the common name fiveleaf yam. It is native to southern and eastern Asia (China, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Philippines, etc.) as well as New Guinea and northern Australia. It is widely cultivated as a food crop and naturalized in Cuba and on several island chains in the Pacific (including Hawaii).

Dioscorea pentaphylla is a prickly vine that twines counterclockwise around objects and other plants. It may reach 10 meters in length. The alternately arranged leaves are compound, divided into 3 to 5 leaflets each up to 10 centimeters long. The plant produces horseshoe-shaped bulbils about a centimeter long. New plants can sprout from the bulbils. Flowers are borne in spikes. The vine grows from a tuber. Specimens may weigh 3 pounds and may be located over a meter underground.

The tubers of the vine can be cooked and eaten.

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