Rajala

 Rajala

Greater Yam

Purple yam/ (Dioscorea alata)

The English name for the Sinhala yam known as "Wal-ala" (වැල් අල) is Greater Yam or Winged Yam. 

Wal in Sinhla means vine. 

It is also called Purple Yam due to the beautiful colour of its flesh. 

The common English name is Dioscorea alata, the species to which Wal-ala belongs. 

The name Rajala has been given to these yams because of their immense size. 

While many of the other varieties of creepers, bushes or plants that have edible tubers or roots usually produce multiple yams growing under each one, the Rajala creeper usually produces several large sized yam. 

With their weight they drop to the soil where another vine sprouts. 

I essence only one yam is seen during a season. 

Two separate varieties one with a light purple peel and the other with dark purple peel. 

After these yams are boiled they have a floury texture and can be eaten alone as a meal or can be made into gruel and sweet meats like muscat.

My friend and a distant elderly brother is a veteran in farming and naming plants according to local tradition. 

He had several of these creepers in his garden. He was the youngest and his education was deliberately crushed by his elder brothers and sister so that there is somebody to look after the big plot of land. 

Besides, he was very good at making kites and we were best of friends and every day after schooling I go and meet him knowing he was ill treated. 

When I became a doctor, I confronted them and said he could have become a graduate if not doctor and what they did was very bad. 

They used to avoid me. I kept in touch with him until, I left Ceylon and pay a visit at least once a month with some chocolates and he keeps some local sweet in smell and taste bananas that are not found Australia.