Root vegetables are underground plant parts eaten by humans or animals as

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for Nutrient, nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or Fungus, fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein (nutrient), proteins, vitamins, ...

. In agricultural and culinary terminology, the term applies to true

root In vascular plants, the roots are the plant organ, organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often bel ...

s, such as

taproot A taproot is a large, central, and dominant root from which other roots sprout laterally. Typically a taproot is somewhat straight and very thick, is tapering in shape, and grows directly downward. In some plants, such as the carrot, the taproot ...

s and

root tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure that plants use as storage organs for nutrients, derived from stems or roots. Tubers help plants perennate (survive winter or dry months), provide energy and nutrients, and are a means of asexual reproduc ...

s, as well as non-roots such as

bulb In botany, a bulb is a short underground stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs duri ...

corm Corm, bulbo-tuber, or bulbotuber is a short, vertical, swollen, underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ that some plants use to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat (perennation). The word ''c ...

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...

s, and stem tubers. Potatoes are technically not roots, and sweet potatoes are a type of root called tuberous roots.

Description

Root vegetables are generally

storage organ A storage organ is a part of a plant specifically modified for storage of energy (generally in the form of carbohydrates) or water. Storage organs often grow underground, where they are better protected from attack by herbivores. Plants that have ...

s, enlarged to store energy in the form of

carbohydrate A carbohydrate () is a biomolecule composed of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) atoms. The typical hydrogen-to-oxygen atomic ratio is 2:1, analogous to that of water, and is represented by the empirical formula (where ''m'' and ''n'' ...

s. They differ in the concentration and balance of

starch Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diet ...

es,

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

s, and other carbohydrates.

List of root vegetables

The following list classifies root vegetables organized by their roots' anatomy.

Modified plant stem

Corm Corm, bulbo-tuber, or bulbotuber is a short, vertical, swollen, underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ that some plants use to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat (perennation). The word ''c ...

**'' Amorphophallus konjac'' (konjac) ** ''

Colocasia esculenta Taro (; ''Colocasia esculenta'') is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and Petiole (botany), petioles. Taro corms are a ...

'' (taro) ** ''

Eleocharis dulcis ''Eleocharis dulcis'', the Chinese water chestnut or water chestnut, is a grass-like Cyperaceae, sedge native to Asia, tropical Africa, and Oceania. It is grown in many countries for its edible corms, but if eaten uncooked, the surface of the ...

'' (Chinese water chestnut) ** ''

Ensete ''Ensete'' is a genus of monocarpic flowering plants native plant, native to tropical regions of Africa and Asia. It is one of the three genera in the banana family, Musaceae, and includes the false banana or enset (''Ensete ventricosum, E. vent ...

'' spp. (enset) ** ''

Nymphaea ''Nymphaea'' () is a genus of hardiness (plants), hardy and tender aquatic plants in the family Nymphaeaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution. Many species are cultivated as ornamental plants, and many cultivars have been bred. Some ta ...

'' spp. (waterlily) ** '' Pteridium esculentum'' ** ''

Sagittaria ''Sagittaria'' is a genus of about 303. Sagittaria Linnaeus
''Flora of Nort ...

'' spp. (arrowhead or wapatoo) ** ''

Typha ''Typha'' is a genus of about 30 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Typhaceae. These plants have a variety of common names, in British English as bulrushStreeter D, Hart-Davies C, Hardcastle A, Cole F, Harper L. 2009. ' ...

spp. ** '' Xanthosoma'' spp. (malanga, cocoyam, tannia, yautia and other names) ** '' Colocasia antiquorum'' (eddoe or Japanese potato) - Ginger -

Bulb In botany, a bulb is a short underground stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs duri ...

** '' Allium cepa'' (onion) ** ''

Allium sativum Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion, and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. Garlic is native to ...

'' (garlic) ** '' Camassia quamash'' (blue camas) ** '' Foeniculum vulgare'' (fennel) *

Rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...

** ''

Curcuma longa Turmeric (), or ''Curcuma longa'' (), is a flowering plant in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. It is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that requires temperatures between and high A ...

'' (turmeric) ** ''

Panax ginseng ''Panax ginseng'', ginseng, also known as Asian ginseng, Chinese ginseng or Korean ginseng, is a species of plant whose root is the original source of ginseng. It is a perennial plant that grows in the mountains of East Asia. It is mainly cultiv ...

'' (ginseng) ** '' Alpinia galanga'' (galangal) ** ''

Arthropodium ''Arthropodium'' is a genus of Herbaceous plant, herbaceous perennial plants in the subfamily Lomandroideae of the family (biology), family Asparagaceae. Members of this genus are native to Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, and Madagascar. ...

'' spp. (rengarenga, vanilla lily, and others) ** '' Canna'' spp. (canna) ** '' Cordyline fruticosa'' (ti) ** ''

Maranta arundinacea ''Maranta arundinacea'', also known as arrowroot, maranta, West Indian arrowroot, obedience plant or Bermuda arrowroot is a large, perennial plant, perennial herb found in rainforest habitats of the Americas, but cultivated in tropical regio ...

'' (arrowroot) ** ''

Nelumbo nucifera ''Nelumbo nucifera'', also known as the pink lotus, sacred lotus, Indian lotus, or simply lotus, is one of two extant taxon, extant species of aquatic plant in the Family (biology), family Nelumbonaceae. It is sometimes colloquially called a ...

'' (lotus root) ** ''

'' spp. (cattail or bulrush) ** '' Zingiber officinale'' (ginger) YamsatBrixtonMarket

* Tuberous stem ** '' Apios americana'' (hog potato or groundnut) ** '' Cyperus esculentus'' (tigernut or chufa) ** '' Helianthus tuberosus'' (Jerusalem artichoke or sunchoke) ** '' Hemerocallis'' spp. (daylily) ** ''

Lathyrus tuberosus ''Lathyrus tuberosus'' (also known as the tuberous pea, tuberous vetchling, earthnut pea, aardaker, or tine-tare) is a small, vine, climbing perennial plant, native in moist temperate parts of Europe and Western Asia. The plant is a trailer or w ...

'' (earthnut pea) ** '' Oxalis tuberosa'' (oca or New Zealand yam) ** '' Plectranthus edulis'' and '' P. esculentus'' (kembili, dazo, and others) ** ''

Solanum tuberosum The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

'' (potato) ** '' Stachys affinis'' (Chinese artichoke or crosne) ** ''

Tropaeolum tuberosum ''Tropaeolum tuberosum'' (mashua, see below for other names) is a species of flowering plant in the family Tropaeolaceae, grown in the Andes, particularly in Peru and Bolivia, and to a lesser extent in Ecuador as well as in some areas of Colombi ...

'' (mashua or añu) ** '' Ullucus tuberosus'' (ulluku)

Root-like stem

*''

Zamia integrifolia ''Zamia integrifolia'', also known as coontie, is a small, tough, woody cycad native to the southeastern United States (in Florida and formerly in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia), the Bahamas, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and Puerto Rico. Descriptio ...

'' (Florida arrowroot)

True root

Taproot A taproot is a large, central, and dominant root from which other roots sprout laterally. Typically a taproot is somewhat straight and very thick, is tapering in shape, and grows directly downward. In some plants, such as the carrot, the taproot ...

(some types may incorporate substantial

hypocotyl The hypocotyl (short for "hypocotyledonous stem", meaning "below seed leaf") is the stem of a germinating seedling, found below the cotyledons (seed leaves) and above the radicle (root). Eudicots As the plant embryo grows at germination, it send ...

tissue) ** '' Arracacia xanthorrhiza'' (arracacha) ** ''

Beta vulgaris ''Beta vulgaris'' (beet) is a species of flowering plant in the subfamily Betoideae of the family Amaranthaceae. Economically, it is the most important crop of the large order Caryophyllales. It has several cultivar groups: the sugar beet, of gre ...

'' (

beet The beetroot (British English) or beet (North American English) is the taproot portion of a '' Beta vulgaris'' subsp. ''vulgaris'' plant in the Conditiva Group. The plant is a root vegetable also known as the table beet, garden beet, dinner ...

and

mangelwurzel Mangelwurzel or mangold wurzel (from German ''Mangel/Mangold'', "chard" and ''Wurzel'', "root"), also called mangold,Wright, Clifford A. (2001) ''Mediterranean Vegetables: a cook's ABC of vegetables and their preparation in Spain, France, Italy, ...

) ** ''

Brassica ''Brassica'' () is a genus of plants in the cabbage and mustard family (Brassicaceae). The members of the genus are informally known as cruciferous vegetables, cabbages, mustard plants, or simply brassicas. Crops from this genus are sometim ...

'' spp. (

kohlrabi Kohlrabi (; pronounced in English; scientific name ''Brassica oleracea'' Gongylodes Group (horticulture), Group), also called German turnip or turnip cabbage, is a Biennial plant, biennial vegetable, a low, stout cultivar of wild cabbage. It is ...

rutabaga Rutabaga (; North American English) or swede (British English and some Commonwealth English) is a root vegetable, a form of ''Brassica napus'' (which also includes rapeseed). Other names include Swedish turnip, neep (Scots language, Scots), an ...

and

turnip The turnip or white turnip ('' Brassica rapa'' subsp. ''rapa'') is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, fleshy taproot. Small, tender varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties a ...

) ** '' Bunium persicum'' (black cumin) ** Burdock (''Arctium, family Asteraceae'') **

Carrot The carrot ('' Daucus carota'' subsp. ''sativus'') is a root vegetable, typically orange in colour, though heirloom variants including purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist, all of which are domesticated forms of the wild ...

(''Daucus carota subsp. sativus'') **

Celeriac Celeriac (''Apium graveolens'' Rapaceum Group, synonyms ''Apium graveolens'' Celeriac Group and ''Apium graveolens'' var. ''rapaceum''), also called celery root, knob celery, and turnip-rooted celery (although it is not a close relative of the ...

(''Apium graveolens rapaceum'') **

Daikon Daikon 大根 (だいこん) or mooli, (مولی) ''Raphanus sativus'' var. ''longipinnatus,'' is a mild-flavored winter radish usually characterized by fast-growing leaves and a long, white, root. Originally native to continental East Asia ...

– the large East Asian white radish (''Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus'') **

Dandelion ''Taraxacum'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. The scientific and hobby study of the genus is known as taraxacology. The genus has a near-cosmopolitan distribu ...

(''Taraxacum'') spp. **

Horseradish Horseradish (''Armoracia rusticana'', syn. ''Cochlearia armoracia'') is a perennial plant of the family Brassicaceae (which also includes Mustard plant, mustard, wasabi, broccoli, cabbage, and radish). It is a root vegetable, cultivated and us ...

(''Armoracia rusticana'') ** '' Lepidium meyenii'' (maca) ** '' Microseris lanceolata'' (murnong or yam daisy) ** '' Pachyrhizus'' spp. ( jicama and ahipa) **

Parsnip The parsnip (''Pastinaca sativa'') is a root vegetable closely related to carrot and parsley, all belonging to the flowering plant family Apiaceae. It is a biennial plant usually grown as an annual. Its long taproot has cream-colored skin an ...

(''Pastinaca sativa'') ** '' Petroselinum'' spp. (

parsley Parsley, or garden parsley (''Petroselinum crispum''), is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to Greece, Morocco and the former Yugoslavia. It has been introduced and naturalisation (biology), naturalized in Eur ...

root) **

Radish The radish (''Raphanus sativus'') is a flowering plant in the mustard family, Brassicaceae. Its large taproot is commonly used as a root vegetable, although the entire plant is edible and its leaves are sometimes used as a leaf vegetable. Origina ...

(''Raphanus sativus'') ** '' Scorzonera hispanica'' (black salsify) ** '' Sium sisarum'' (skirret) ** '' Tragopogon'' spp. ( salsify) ** '' Vigna lanceolata'' (bush carrot or bush potato) Manihot esculenta dsc07325

Tuberous root Tubers are a type of enlarged structure that plants use as storage organs for nutrients, derived from stems or roots. Tubers help plants perennate (survive winter or dry months), provide energy and nutrients, and are a means of asexual reprod ...

** '' Amorphophallus galbra'' (yellow lily yam) ** '' Conopodium majus'' (pignut or earthnut) ** '' Dioscorea'' spp. ( yams, ube) ** '' Dioscorea polystachya'' (nagaimo, Chinese yam, Korean yam, mountain yam, white ñame) ** '' Hornstedtia scottiana'' (native ginger) ** '' Ipomoea batatas'' (sweet potato) ** ''

Ipomoea costata ''Ipomoea costata'', commonly known as rock morning glory, is an Australian flora, Australian native plant. It is found in northern Australia, from Western Australia, through the Northern Territory, to Queensland. Its tubers provide a form of ...

'' (desert yam) ** '' Manihot esculenta'' (cassava or yuca or manioc) ** '' Mirabilis expansa'' (mauka or chago) ** '' Pediomelum esculentum'' (breadroot, tipsin, or prairie turnip) ** ''

Smallanthus sonchifolius ''Smallanthus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the tribe Millerieae within the family Asteraceae. Taxonomy The following species are currently recognized: *''Smallanthus apus'' – Mexico *''Smallanthus cocuyensis'' – Colombia *''Smallanth ...

'' (yacón)

Uses

Many root vegetables keep well in

root cellar A root cellar (American and Canadian English), fruit cellar (Mid-Western American English) or earth cellar (British English) is a structure, usually underground. or partially underground, used for food storage, storage of vegetables, fruits, nu ...

s, lasting several months. This is one way of storing food for use long after

harvest Harvesting is the process of collecting plants, animals, or fish (as well as fungi) as food, especially the process of gathering mature crops, and "the harvest" also refers to the collected crops. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulses fo ...

, which is especially important in nontropical

latitude In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate system, geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from −90° at t ...

s, where

winter Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Dif ...

is traditionally a time of little to no harvesting. There are also season extension methods that can extend the harvest throughout the winter, mostly through the use of polytunnels. Starchy root vegetables are of particular economic importance as

staple food A staple food, food staple, or simply staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for an individual or a population group, supplying a large fraction of energy needs an ...

s, especially in tropical regions. They overshadow

cereal A cereal is a grass cultivated for its edible grain. Cereals are the world's largest crops, and are therefore staple foods. They include rice, wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet, and maize ( Corn). Edible grains from other plant families, ...

s throughout much of Central and

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

, as well as

Oceania Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...

, in these areas being used directly or mashed to make foods such as fufu or poi.

References

External links

* {{Authority control ' 'vegetables, root vegetables, root