JAPANESE MOUNTAIN YAM (forum)

ChantelleGrows starts with ...
Know where I can buy Japanese Mountain Yam (Dioscorea japonica/Yamaimo) plants/tubers in Australia or seed anywhere in the world?

Strictly Medicinal Seeds in the US sells aerial tubers but these need an import licence.

Please note I’m specifically after D. japonica and no other closely-related species.
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Time: 1st December 2019 10:20pm

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About the Author ChantelleGrows
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Linton says...
Hello Chantelle, nice to see that you share a similar interest in the Japanese Mountain Yam. I am growing Dioscorea japonica to produce the aerial tubers known as Tiny Mukago Potatoes for using in dishes like Mukago Rice which is very simple to make. You can also wait for the pale white yams to form and they take about 2 years before they are ready to harvest.

They are very easy to grow from seeds which I got from Japan. Following the introduction of the new regulations in Japan requiring the provision of Phyto certificates, which the supplier may provide for free, it enables the consignment to pass more easily through our customs.

Japanese Yam tubers are sometimes sold at my local fruit shop but its doubtful that they are the true Japanese Mountain Yams. They are more likely to be the more common Dioscorea polystachya which look identical to your picture of Dioscorea japonica. Interestingly, D. polystachya is also known as nagaimo which makes things even more confusing.

Thanks for listening and Happy Christmas!




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Time: 2nd December 2019 8:48pm

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Original Post was last edited: 3rd December 2019 1:40pm

About the Author Linton
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zoe11 says...
Hi Linton

I am trying to find Dioscorea japonica for a while, could you please help me where to get one?

Time: 11th April 2020 2:36pm

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SheaWatt says...
Hi, I'm a farmer who would like to start growing these, can you get in touch if you can sell me some propagating material or know where I can find some?
Thanks, Shea Watt tlightly1@gmail.com

Time: 12th April 2020 6:31am

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Linton says...
Hello, how yous going? While the Dioscorea japonica seeds were easy to germinate the baby plants have not been so easy to get established. Sorry to say that many of them have now died so I only have a few left that seem to be doing ok. I would be interested to learn how to cultivate this species more successfully without so many fatalities.

If yous want to try growing them, I suggest that you get some seeds from Japan like I did. It's best to get them from a supplier that provides a phyto certificate so that they pass through our customs easily. However it is the wrong season for planting as they are deciduous and go dormant in Winter so you should sow the seeds in Spring.

I don't know if they would do well in warmer climates further north because the Japanese Mountain Yam is not one of the tropical yams. Its natural habitat is in the cold mountains of Japan so it probably needs considerable chill over winter to grow well here. Please let me know if you need any further information and I will report on how my plants are regrowing next spring at which time I might even have some of the tiny bulbils available. Yours cheerfully!
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Time: 15th April 2020 2:18pm

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SheaWatt says...
Thank you very much Linton, I'll try myself from seed then, we've been growing the native yam Dioscorea transversa and the giant winged yam Dioscorea alata, they both have very different requirements but both are very difficult to grow from seed so it never occurred to me to try with D. japonica. I'll post back here if I have success!

Time: 15th April 2020 2:57pm

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zoe11 says...
Hi Linton
I couldn't find a source of seeds either. I don't know if it is allowed to say it in here or not, but could you please help me to source one?


Time: 16th April 2020 10:38am

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Linton says...
You might have trouble finding seeds at the moment as it is the wrong season. According to one Japanese site, yamaimo plants 山芋 or ヤマノイモ flower at the end of summer in Japan, and harvesting would be some time after that.

I got the seeds about November last year so they should become available again around that time. I will probably order another batch then when suppliers start to offer them again. Cheers!

Time: 19th April 2020 11:14am

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