''Dioscorea trifida'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Dioscoreaceae. 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, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

,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, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, ''tabena'' and ''ñame'' in

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

, ''sacha papa'' in

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, and ''ñampi'' in

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

Description

This plant is a

vine A vine 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 themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Da ...

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 that plants use as storage organs for nutrients, derived from stems or roots. Tubers help plants perennate (survive winter or dry months), provide energy and nutrients, and are a means of asexual reproduc ...

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

starch Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diet ...

y 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 mi ...

hoof The hoof (: 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; the ruminants with ...

, 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 tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

, 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 A staple food, food staple, or simply staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for an individual or a population group, supplying a large fraction of energy needs an ...

for some

indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

. 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 20–25% of it. Because of its tightly packed Helix, helical struct ...

and has potential uses as a binder and thickener in

food processing Food processing is the transformation of agricultural products into food, or of one form of food into other forms. Food processing takes many forms, from grinding grain into raw flour, home cooking, and complex industrial methods used in the mak ...

References

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