• Medicinal, attractive and edible "Chinese Yam" is a vigorous, easy, twining climber to 9' +++long. Perennial, with lovely heart-shaped leaves, it makes clusters of small, white flowers that emit a pleasant and distinctive cinnamon scent. In more tropical climates, it makes a huge, good-tasting tuber, but probably not here.
• Grow it for pretty leaves - let it scramble up a tree, arbor or trellis. Enjoy its scent. It's also fun for its "Air Potatoes" (tubercles), pea-sized baby tubers (edible and quite tasty) that form in the leaf axils and fall off when ripe. "Chinese Yam," also known as "Shan Yao," has a long history of medicinal use (including stimulating appetite, tonifying lungs and kidneys, lowering blood sugar, menopausal symptoms, emotional instability and more)
• Besides all that, it can be grown as a houseplant. Easy to propagate from the "Air Potatoes." Or cutting ,Prune to ground in The fall when all the leaves have died off And the root Will stay in the ground for the next summer's grow

Medicinal, attractive and edible "Chinese Yam" is a vigorous, easy, twining climber to 9' +++long. Perennial, with lovely heart-shaped leaves, it makes clusters of small, white flowers that emit a pleasant and distinctive cinnamon scent. In more tropical climates, it makes a huge, good-tasting tuber, but probably not here.