Dioscorea plants of Dioscoreaceae have long cylindrical stems and grow vertically; Leaves alternate in the lower part of the stem, sometimes opposite in the middle and upper part; Inflorescence axis is zigzag, bracts and perianth segments have purple-brown spots; The fruit is triangular oblate or triangular round with white powder. The flowering period is from June to September, and the fruiting period is July-165438+1October. The name "Huai Yam" comes from the medical monograph "Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing", a kind of sweet potato, which was called Yu Yan in Qin Chu, Tushu in Zheng Yue and goat in Qi Zhao.
Dioscorea zingiberensis originated in Pingyao, Jiexiu and other places in Shanxi, China, and is now distributed in North China, Northwest China and the Yangtze River Basin in China, as well as in South Korea and Japan. Yam is a deep-rooted plant with strong adaptability, temperature tolerance and cold tolerance. It needs sandy loam with deep soil layer, loose soil and good drainage to grow better in the sunny plain and hilly environment. There are about 30 species of Dioscorea plants in China, accounting for more than 50% of the plants containing diosgenin in the world. The propagation modes of Dioscorea zingiberensis are bulb propagation and root tuber propagation.
Morphological characteristics of Chinese yam
Lianas. Tubers are long and cylindrical, grow vertically, and the length exceeds 1 m, and the cross section is white when dried. Stems usually purplish red, right, glabrous. Simple leaves, alternate in the lower part of the stem, opposite above the middle, rarely 3 leaves; Leaves vary greatly, from oval triangle to broad oval or halberd shape, 3-9(- 16) cm long and 2-7(- 14) cm wide. The leaves are acuminate at the top, deeply cordate at the base, broadly cordate or nearly truncate, the edges are often 3-lobed to 3-lobed, and the middle lobes are elliptic to lanceolate.
Male inflorescence is a spike, 2-8 cm long, nearly erect, with 2-8 flowers inserted in leaf axils and occasionally arranged in a conical shape; Inflorescence axis is obviously serrated; Bracts and perianth segments have purple-brown spots; The outer perianth of male flower is broadly ovoid, while the inner perianth is ovoid and smaller. Stamens 6. The female inflorescence is a spike, and the inflorescence 1-3 is inserted in the leaf axils.
Reference to the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia-Dioscorea