Abstract
Correlations among 100 characteristics measured on 30 greater yam (Dioscorea alata) cultivars showed that certain characteristics are frequently associated and thus define related groups. Three groups were distinguished by the names Feo, Primitive, and Choice. The Choice group is the most artificial, and is distinguished chiefly by low phenolic pigmentation in foliage and tubers, and by superior flavour and cooking characteristics. The other groups represent fairly natural units of closely related cultivars. Some cultivars could not be classified in any of the three groups.
