| Dioscorea cayenensissubsp. rotundata | |
|---|---|
 | |
| White yam | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Dioscoreales |
| Family: | Dioscoreaceae |
| Genus: | Dioscorea |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | D. c.subsp. rotundata |
| Trinomial name | |
| Dioscorea cayenensissubsp. rotundata | |
Dioscorea cayenensis subsp.rotundata, commonly known as thewhite yam,West African yam,[1]Guinea yam, orwhite ñame, is a subspecies[2] ofyam native toAfrica. It is one of the most important cultivated yams.[3]Kokoro is one of its most importantcultivars.
It is sometimes treated as separate species fromDioscorea cayenensis.[1]
Its wild progenitor isDioscorea praehensilis[1] and possibly alsoD. abyssinica (by hybridization).[4] Domestication occurred inWest Africa, along the south-facing Atlantic coast. There is insufficient documentation and as of 2009[update] insufficient research to determine how long ago that occurred.[5]
D. c. subsp.rotundata is grown inWest Africa, including countries such asIvory Coast,Ghana andNigeria.[6]
Blench (2006) reconstructs the tentativeProto-Niger-Congo (i.e., themost recent common ancestor of theNiger-Congo languages) root-ku forD. rotundata.[1]
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