''Dioscorea trifida'' is a species of flowering plant in the family

Dioscoreaceae Dioscoreaceae () is a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants, with about 715 known species in nine genera. The best-known member of the family is the yam (some species of ''Dioscorea''). The APG system (1998) and APG II system (2003) both ...

. It is a species of yam (genus '' Dioscorea''). It is native to the Caribbean and Central and South America. Its many common names include Indian yam,''Dioscorea trifida''.
ITIS. cush-cush, and yampee. It is called ''mapuey'' in

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

,Pérez, E., et al. (2011)
Evaluation of the functional properties of promising ''Dioscorea trifida'' L. waxy starches for food innovation.
''International Journal of Carbohydrate Chemistry'' vol. 2011, Article ID 165638, 7 pages. ''inhame'' in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, ''tabena'' and ''ñame'' in Colombia, ''sacha papa'' in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

, and ''ñampi'' in Costa Rica.

Description

This plant is a

vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themsel ...

that can exceed 3 meters in length.''Dioscorea trifida''.
FAO Ecocrop. One plant produces up to 12 stems, which are lined with several membranous wings.Stephens, J. M
Cushcush — ''Dioscorea trifida'' L.
HS590. Florida Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida IFAS. Published 1994, revised 2009. They emerge from roots with

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growin ...

s of various shape and size, generally up to 20 centimeters long by 8 wide. The leaves are up to 23''Dioscorea trifida''.
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Barro Colorado Island. to 30 centimeters long with blades divided into pointed lobes and borne on long, winged petioles. Green flowers with six tiny

tepal A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...

s are borne in the axils. The fruit is a winged, lightly hairy capsule up to about 2.7 centimeters long.

Uses

This is a cultivated yam species used for food in parts of the Americas, especially South America and some Caribbean nations. The starchy tuber has a thin, smooth skin marked with some cracks. It takes different shapes but is commonly spherical or club-shaped, or shaped like a

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...

hoof The hoof (plural: hooves) is the tip of a toe of an ungulate mammal, which is covered and strengthened with a thick and horny keratin covering. Artiodactyls are even-toed ungulates, species whose feet have an even number of digits, yet the rum ...

, sometimes with a cleft. It comes in various colors, including white, purple, and black.Pérez, E., et al. (2010)
Physicochemical, functional, and macromolecular properties of waxy yam starches discovered from "mapuey" (''Dioscorea trifida'') genotypes in the Venezuelan Amazon.
''Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry'' 59(1), 263-73. The crop is cultivated like the

potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...

, but must be given a strong trellis for support. It is propagated by planting small tubers or tuber chunks. The crop can be harvested in 10 to 11 months. The tuber is cooked for food. It can be baked or boiled. In Venezuela and Colombia it is mashed or used in soups. In parts of the Caribbean it is known as "the best of the yams". It is a staple food for some

indigenous peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

. The tuber is about 38% starch. It is a waxy starch that lacks

amylose Amylose is a polysaccharide made of α-D-glucose units, bonded to each other through α(1→4) glycosidic bonds. It is one of the two components of starch, making up approximately 20–30%. Because of its tightly packed helical structure, amylose ...

and has potential uses as a binder and thickener in food processing.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dioscorea trifida trifida Yams (vegetable) Flora of the Caribbean Flora of Central America Flora of South America Crops originating from the Americas Flora without expected TNC conservation status