A type of yam, Dioscorea bulbifera, which forms edible potato-like bulbils in its leaf axils, and is sometimes cultivated for ornament or (especially in West Africa) as a food crop, but in some areas is considered an invasive weed.
Origin
Late 19th century.
Definition of air potato in US English:
air potato
noun
A type of yam, Dioscorea bulbifera, which forms edible potato-like bulbils in its leaf axils, and is sometimes cultivated for ornament or (especially in West Africa) as a food crop, but in some areas is considered an invasive weed.