Yams and sweet potatoes are often confused but are different plants. Yams are from the genus Dioscorea and are native to Africa and Asia, growing as vines up to 8 feet long. Sweet potatoes are from the genus Ipomoea and are native to Central and South America. While sometimes referred to as yams in North America, they are botanically distinct from true yams. Sweet potatoes have softer, starchy roots that can be white, yellow, or purple while yams have rougher skins and can grow over 150 pounds. Both are important agricultural crops, with yams particularly important for food security in West Africa.

1. The Difference Between
by @johnrogers
Yams & Sweet Potatoes

2. Yam Sweet Potato
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea (family The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the family
Dioscoreaceae). These are perennialherbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet tasting tuberous roots are an important root
their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America andOceania. There are many cultivars of vegetable (Purseglove, 1991; Woolfe, 1992). The young leaves and shoots are
yam. sometimes eaten as greens. Of the approximately 50 genera and more than 1,000
species of Convolvulaceae, I. batatas is the only crop plant of major importance – some
The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) has traditionally been referred to as a yam in parts of
others are used locally, but many are actually poisonous.
the United States and Canada, but it is not part of the Dioscoreaceae family.
The sweet potato is only distantly related to the potato (Solanum tuberosum). The softer,
Although it is unclear which came first, the word yam is related to Portuguese inhame or
orange variety is often called a yam in parts of North America, a practice intended to
Spanish ñame, which both ultimately derive from the Wolof word nyam, meaning "to
differentiate it from the firmer, white variety. The sweet potato is botanically very distinct
sample" or "taste"; in other African languages it can also mean "to eat", e.g. yamyam and
from the other vegetable called a yam, which is native to Africa and Asia and belongs to
doya in Hausa or "to chew" in Dholuo language of the Luo of Kenya and Northern
the monocot family Dioscoreaceae. To prevent confusion, the United States Department
Tanzania.[citation needed]
of Agriculture requires that sweet potatoes labeled as "yams" also be labeled as "sweet
There are over 100 ethnic groups and languages in Nigeria, and each has different
potatoes".[1]
language names for Yam, "Isu" is the Yoruba translation or "Iyan" when it has been
The genus Ipomoea that contains the sweet potato also includes several garden flowers
prepared to be consumed as a main course for dinner. The yam is a versatile vegetable
called morning glories, though that term is not usually extended to Ipomoea batatas.
which has various derivative products after process, it can be barbecued; roasted;fried;
Some cultivars of Ipomoea batatas are grown as ornamental plants; the name "tuberous
grilled; boiled; smoked and when grated it is processed into a dessert recipe. Yams are
morning glory" may be used in a horticultural context.
the staple crop of theIgbo people of Nigeria, in their language it is known as ji, and they
commemorate it by having yam festivals known as Iri-ji or Iwa-Ji depending on the dialect. This plant is a herbaceous perennial vine, bearing alternate heart-shaped or palmately
lobed leaves and medium-sized sympetalous flowers. The edible tuberous root is long and
Yam tubers can grow up to 2.5 m (8.2 ft) in length[2] and weigh up to 70 kg (154 lb).
tapered, with a smooth skin whose colour ranges between red, purple, brown and white.
The vegetable has a rough skin which is difficult to peel, but which softens after heating.
Its flesh ranges from white through yellow, orange, and purple.
The skins vary in color from dark brown to light pink. The majority of the vegetable is
composed of a much softer substance known as the "meat". This substance ranges in
color from white or yellow to purple or pink in ripe yams.
Yams are a primary agricultural commodity in West Africa and New Guinea. They were
first cultivated in Africa and Asia about 8000 B.C.[citation needed] Due to their abundance
and consequently, their importance to survival, the yam was highly regarded in Nigerian
ceremonial culture and used as a vegetable offered during blessings.[citation needed]
Yams are still important for survival in these regions. The tubers can be stored up to six
months without refrigeration, which makes them a valuable resource for the yearly period
of food scarcity at the beginning of the wet season.

3. YAM!

4. SWEET POTATO!

5. From Merriam-Webster, and Encyclopedia Britannica
Company

6. YAM!
YAM!
SWEET POTATO!

7. Jonathan R. Schultheis and L. George Wilson, North Carolina State University

8. YAM!
YAM!
SWEET POTATO!

10. nom nom nom
nom nom nom
OUCH!

11. by @johnrogers