Chen holds his rare Chinese yam in his field in Sichuan Province. Photo: Newssc.org

A farmer in Deyang, Sichuan Province has earned applause for harvesting a gigantic 15-kilogram yam that resembles a hand, newssc.org reported Monday. 

The farmer surnamed Chen found the 70-centimeter-long Chinese yam, which looks like a palm with four fingers, growing in an abandoned field behind his house. 

Local agricultural authorities expressed surprise over the find, saying that even finding a 5-kilogram yam is rare.

The yam variety, locally called "jiaobantiao," is hearty, drought resistant and can be found growing in otherwise infertile soils.