Purple Yam
Purple Yam
Scientific name: Dioscorea alata L.
Local name: ‘Kath Alu’, ‘Kham Alu’, ‘Gach Alo’
Taxonomic Position According to Cronquist (1981)
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Division | Magnoliophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Diocoriales |
| Family | Dioscoreaceae |
| Genus | Dioscorea |
| Species | alata |
Botanical Description
Habitat: climber.
Stem: angular
Leaf: chordate, dark green.
Economic Importance: Tubers are boiled with arums, mushrooms, cooked with vegetables and mixed with rice. Tuber paste is applied on cancerous wounds, leprosy, gonorrhea, blood pressure and in skin diseases.