Dioscorea japonica

Dioscorea japonica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Dioscoreales
Family:	Dioscoreaceae
Genus:	Dioscorea
Species:	D. japonica
Binomial name
Dioscorea japonica Thunb. 1784

Dioscorea japonica, known as East Asian mountain yam, ^[1] yamaimo, or Japanese mountain yam, is a type of yam ( Dioscorea ) native to Japan (including Ryukyu and Bonin Islands), Korea, China, Taiwan, and Assam. ^{[2] [3]}

Dioscorea japonica is used for food. Jinenjo, also called the wild yam, is a related variety of Japanese yam that is used as an ingredient in soba noodles.

Mugitoro gohan

Names

In Japanese, it is known as yamaimo (山芋, "mountain yam"). ^[4] Jinenjo (自然薯, "wild yam") is another kind of Dioscorea japonica, which is native to fields and mountains in Japan.

In Chinese, Dioscorea japonica is known as yě shānyào ( 野 山藥 ) which translates to English as "wild Chinese yam" or simply "wild yam".^{[ citation needed ]} Another name is Rìběn shǔyù ( 日本 薯蕷 ; literally "Japanese yam"). ^[3]

In Korean, it is known as cham ma (참마), as well as dang ma (당마).^{[ citation needed ]}

Chemistry

Dioscorea japonica contains the antimutagenic compounds eudesmol and paeonol. ^[5]

Varieties

Several formal botanical varieties have been proposed. Four are accepted: ^{[2] [3]}

1. Dioscorea japonica var. japonica - Japan (Ryukyu, Bonin), Korea, Taiwan, China (Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Zhejiang)
2. Dioscorea japonica var. nagarumPrain & Burkill - India (Assam)
3. Dioscorea japonica var. oldhamiiR.Knuth - China (Guangdong, Guangxi), Taiwan
4. Dioscorea japonica var. piliferaC.T.Ting & M.C.Chang - China (Anhui, Fujian, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Zhejiang)

Uses

Further information: Chinese yam § Uses

In Japanese cuisine, both the Japanese yam and the introduced Chinese yam are used interchangeably in dishes and recipes. ^[6]

The yam's aerial tubercles, or bulbils, called mukago, are also eaten. They are often cooked and served with white rice. ^[7]

See also

• Tororo (food), a Japanese dish made from grating raw yams such as yamaimo

References

1. English Names for Korean Native Plants (PDF). Pocheon: Korea National Arboretum. 2015. p. 442. ISBN   978-89-97450-98-5 . Retrieved 4 January 2017– via Korea Forest Service.
2. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
3. "Dioscorea japonica in Flora of China @ efloras.org". Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
4. Ohwi, Jisaburo (1965). Meyer, Frederick G.; Walker, Egbert H. (eds.). Flora of Japan. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution. p. 314. OCLC   742327504 . Retrieved 21 January 2012.
5. Antimutagenic Activity of (+)-β-Eudesmol and Paeonol from Dioscorea japonica. Mitsuo Miyazawa, Hideo Shimamura, Sei-ichi Nakamura and Hiromu Kameoka, J. Agric. Food Chem., 1996, 44 (7), pages 1647–1650, doi : 10.1021/jf950792u
6. Itoh, Makiko (2015-07-15). "'Yamaimo': Japan's slimy mountain yam". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
7. "Japanese mountain yam | Dioscorea japonica". Flower Database. Retrieved 19 May 2025.