Acid phosphatase activity was determined in 15 cultivars from four species of yam. A 12-fold purification of the enzyme from Dioscorea rotundata (cv. chikakwondo) gave a homogeneous preparation as demonstrated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. This enzyme preparation has an apparent molecular weight of 115 000 +2000 and an optimum activity at a p H of 5-20 and a temperature of 50°C. The K, ofthe enzyme is 3.81 m M with disodium p-nitrophenylphosphate (p-NNP) as a substrate. The energy of activation, heat of activation, energy of inactivation and heat of inactivation are 7.0, 6.4, 4.41 and 4.34 kcal M -~, respectively. Although it has very little activity with most organic phosphoric acid esters, it is significantly inhibited by Ca2+, Hg2+ and EDTA and activated by Mgz+.The enzyme has a half-life of 50,170r 13 days, respectively, when stored at W C , 0°C or room temperature (29+2"C).