Chinese yam vs Pacific yam

Dioscorea esculenta compared with Dioscorea nummularia

Key Differences

• Chinese yam is Not Evaluated while Pacific yam is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chinese yam	Pacific yam
Kingdom same	Plantae (식물)	Plantae (식물)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (피자식물문)	Magnoliophyta (피자식물문)
Class same	Liliopsida (백합강)	Liliopsida (백합강)
Order same	Dioscoreales (마목)	Dioscoreales (마목)
Family same	Dioscoreaceae	Dioscoreaceae
Genus same	Dioscorea	Dioscorea
Species	Dioscorea esculenta	Dioscorea nummularia

Evolutionary Relationship

Chinese yam and Pacific yam share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Dioscorea.

Conservation Status

Chinese yam

NE — Not Evaluated

Pacific yam

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chinese yam	Pacific yam
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chinese yam

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Distributed across Burkina Faso, Colombia, and Seychelles.

Pacific yam

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests within the Indomalayan biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Laos. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Chinese yam

The Chinese Yam (Dioscorea esculenta) is a species in the genus Dioscorea. Distributed across Burkina Faso, Colombia, and Seychelles.