Dioscorea esculenta (Lour.) Burkill

Dioscorea esculenta (Lour.) Burkill. Dioscorea esculenta is a species of flowering plant in the family Dioscoreaceae. It is sometimes referred to by the common name lesser yam, and is native to Island Southeast Asia and introduced to Near Oceania and East Africa by early Austronesian voyagers. This yam is grown for its edible tubers, though it has smaller tubers than the more widely-cultivated Dioscorea alata and is usually spiny.