Common Name: Cush Cush Yam

General Information

Cush cush yam is a perennial climbing plant producing twining stems about 3 metres long from a tuberous rootstock. These stems scramble over the ground, or twine into the surrounding vegetation[].
The plant is widely cultivated in tropical areas, especially S. America and the Caribbean, for its edible root[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Northern S. America - Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas; C. America - Panama to Guatemala; eastern Caribbean.

Habitat

Not known

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Perennial Climber
Height	3.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist tropics and subtropics. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 18 - 26°c, but can tolerate 10 - 36°c[]. It can be killed by temperatures of 7°c or lower[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,200 - 2,600mm, but tolerates 1,000 - 4,000mm[]. This species grows better at lower temperatures than most tropical yams[].
Prefers a sunny position, tolerating some shade[]. For best yields, most yams require a deep, well-drained, sandy loam that is not liable to water-logging[]. This species will succeed in a wide range of soils so long as there is plenty of organic matter and they are well drained[]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 6.7, tolerating 5.3 - 8[].
Daylengths of more than 12 hours are preferred during the early growing season since this encourages vegetative growth; daylengths of less than 12 hours towards the end of the growing season will encourage tuber formation and development[].
Crops can be obtained in 9 - 11 months from planting, yields of 15 - 20 tonnes per hectare have been achieved[].
Plants produce groups of 5 - 50 tubers from enlarged stolons or runners[].
This is perhaps the only cultivated yam species that has retained its full reproductive potential through seed formation[].
There are some named varieties[, ].
A dioecious species, both male and female plants need to be grown if seed is required.

Edible Uses

Root - cooked[]. Boiled or baked, some forms have an excellent flavour[]. The cooked flesh is smooth in texture, attractive and of an unusual rich flavour that is readily appreciated and sufficiently moist in the mouth[]. Roots are about 15 - 20cm long and 6 - 8cm in diameter[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sown in containers and planted out at the beginning of the growing season[].
Cuttings of tubers. Small tubers can be cut into 2 - 4 sections, larger ones into 6 - 8 sections. Each section should have 2 - 3 dormant buds. The cut tuber is often left in the sun for several hours to promote wound healing and reduce the risk of fungal infection[].

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