Dioscorea

Diascorea batatas is known as Cinnamon Vine and Chinese Yam. It forms a large underground tuber that is edible and widely used in Chinese medicine (of course, pretty much everything that grows in China is used in Chinese medicine). The deciduous vine has glossy, heart-shaped leaves, and may reach 10-15'. Propagation is by small tubers that grow in the leaf axils. These are edible, too, but are not the same as the larger ones of the 'air potato' (Dioscorea bulbifera), an invasive plant. Small creamy flowers smell of cinnamon. Zones 7-10

Dioscorea sylvatica differs in that it is a vining caudiciform, the enlarged tuber sitting partly on top of the soil and covered by a corky bark when mature. Similar to the more famous Elephant's Foot (Dioscorea elephantipes) but smaller and with a somewhat smoother tuber. The leaves are narrowly heart-shaped, pleated, and glossy on a vigorous vine to 15'. Mature plants have small white flowers. Used in traditional medicine in Zimbabwe. Zone 10, greenhouse, or house.