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Dioscorea mexicana
Also called Mexican Yam ç
Dioscorea mexicana is a climbing yam from Mexico and Central America grown for its large, partly above-ground caudex (a swollen storage base) and vigorous annual vines. Keep it in a warm, sunny, well-drained spot and let it go dormant in the dry season.
Dioscorea mexicana, Mexican yam or cabeza de negro is a species of yam in the genus Dioscorea.
Dioscorea mexicana is a caudiciform dioscorea having either a partly to completely above-ground dome-shaped caudex with a thick, woody outer layer up to 3 feet (90 cm) in diameter and 8–10 inches (20 to 25 cm) in height. The caudex of D. mexicana is divided into regular polygonal plates that become protuberant with age, and separated by deep fissures. The vigorous annual vines which may reach 30 feet (9 m) long before dying back in winter, that grow up from the caudex, bear heart-shaped leaves.
Dioscorea abysmophila · Dioscorea abyssinica · Dioscorea acanthogene · Dioscorea acuminata · Dioscorea aesculifolia · Dioscorea aguilarii · Water yam · Dioscorea alatipes · Dioscorea althaeoides · Dioscorea amaranthoides · Dioscorea amazonum · Dioscorea analalavensis
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Dioscorea mexicana by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
