yam plant vs yam

yam plant and yam both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
yam plant	Yes	No	No	No
yam	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, yam plant and yam are synonyms defined as:

yam plant and yam: any of a number of tropical vines of the genus Dioscorea many having edible tuberous roots

yam plant (noun)	yam (noun)
any of a number of tropical vines of the genus Dioscorea many having edible tuberous roots	sweet potato with deep orange flesh that remains moist when baked
	edible tuberous root of various yam plants of the genus Dioscorea grown in the tropics world-wide for food
	any of a number of tropical vines of the genus Dioscorea many having edible tuberous roots
	edible tuber of any of several yams