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Dioscorea japonica
Scientific classification Edit this 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 ( 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. nagarum Prain & Burkill - India (Assam)
  3. Dioscorea japonica var. oldhamii R.Knuth - China (Guangdong, Guangxi), Taiwan
  4. Dioscorea japonica var. pilifera C.T.Ting & M.C.Chang - China (Anhui, Fujian, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Zhejiang)

Uses

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

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. ^ a b Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  3. ^ a b c "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.