What is the difference between sweet potatoes and yams?

Yams are a monocot (a plant having one embryonic seed leaf) and from the Dioscoreaceae or Yam family. Sweet Potatoes, often called ‘yams’, are a dicot (a plant having two embryonic seed leaves) and are from the Convolvulacea or morning glory family. Yams Yams are closely related to lilies and grasses. read more

Yams and sweet potatoes are two different plants. The sweet potato is in the morning glory family, while yams are related to palms and grasses. And they grow in different parts of the world: yams in Africa, where they originated, and also Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and Central America. Sweet potatoes are grown in the United States, with North Carolina leading the way in production. read more

Many times the names "sweet potato" and "yam" are used interchangeably in conversation, in cooking and even at the supermarket. But they are really two different vegetables. In fact, although they are both root vegetables, they belong to two different plant families--the sweet potato is from the morning glory family while the yam is related to the lily. read more