Шығыс Азия тамыры: Қытайдық ямның сипаттамасы мен таралуы

Species of yam from East Asia

Dioscorea polystachya or Chinese yam (s=山药), also called cinnamon vine, is a species of flowering plant in the yam family. It is sometimes called Chinese potato or by its Korean name ma.

This plant grows throughout East Asia. It is believed to have been introduced to Japan in the 17th century or earlier. Introduced to the United States as early as the 19th century for culinary and cultural uses, it is now considered an invasive plant species. The plant was introduced to Europe in the 19th century during the European Potato Failure, where cultivation continues to this day for the contemporary East Asian food market.

The botanical names Dioscorea opposita and Dioscorea oppositifolia have been consistently misapplied to Chinese yam. Botanical works that point out the error may list, e. g., Dioscorea opposita auct. as a synonym of D. polystachya. New plants sprout from the bulbils or parts of them. The flowers of Chinese yam are cinnamon scented. The plant produces one or more spindle shaped or huáishānyào (s=怀山药 or s=淮山药, i. e. the Huai Qing Fu (s=怀庆俯) region). Rarely, it is also referred to as shǔyù (t=[[wikt:薯蕷). The yam bulbils are referred to as shanyao dou (s=山药豆) or shanyao dan (s=山药蛋). In Japan, three groups of this species in cultivation are recognized. The common long, cylindrical type is known as The ichōimo (銀杏芋) bears a flat, palmate shape, and the tsukune imo (つくね芋) is round or globular. The term yamatoimo ([[wikt:大和芋) is used particularly in the Kantō region for the ichōimo in the market, Huáishān has also been used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Dioscorea polystachya was introduced to the United States in the 1800s when it was planted as an ornamental or food crop. It and other introduced yam species now grow wild there. It is troublesome in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where its range is "rapidly expanding", particularly into the Tennessee Valley where different native, hybrid and/or invasive non native variants of morning glory and bindweed as well as invasive kudzu and cuscuta (dodder) have all become problematic and are similar in appearance to the fast moving and often mishandled tubers. As Chinese yam and air potatoes continue to destroy entire swaths of gardens and yards though are not yet classified as invasive in these areas, residents seeking to eat the tuber plant their vines in unprotected land while residents seeking removal chop the tops off of vines at ground level and compost or mulch them before realizing this only makes the problem worse and that no weed killers on the market are able to rid a garden or yard of the plant. The newest solution from Florida for people in Florida and surrounding states experiencing harm to their property and wishing a reprieve from these plant pests is to request free Air Potato Beetles. However, the beetles continue to elude Tennesseans due to various government regulations and the lack of others.

The tubers of D. polystachya can be eaten raw (grated or sliced Both are used in cooking and the tubers are prepared in a variety of ways. They are most commonly consumed raw, after the skinned roots have been blended with water, milk or yogurt (occasionally with additional honey) to create a nourishing drink known as majeup (마즙) or "ma juice" (마주스). Alternatively, the peeled tubers are cut into pieces and served—either raw, after cooking, steaming or frying, along with seasoning sauces.

The Chinese yam's growing cycle spans approximately one year, and should be planted between winter and spring. The traditional methods growing it are: using smaller tubers, top cut of bigger tubers or through cuttings of branches. The first two methods can produce 20 cm (7.8 in) long tubers and above. The latter produces smaller tubers (10 cm or 4 in) that are usually replanted for the next year. Between 7 and 9 months of replanting Chinese yam tubers, their leaves start to get dry (a common fact in plants that grow tubers), which indicates that the tubers are ready for harvest. In home gardens generally only what will be consumed is harvested, with the rest left in the pot in moist soil.