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Root vegetables are underground plant parts eaten by humans as
food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is in ...
. Although
botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...
distinguishes true
root In vascular plants, the roots are the 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 below the su ...
s (such as taproots and tuberous roots) from non-roots (such as
bulb In botany, a bulb is structurally a short 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 dur ...
s,
corm A 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 ' ...
s, rhizomes, and
tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing ...
s, although some contain both
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 ...
and taproot tissue), the term "root vegetable" is applied to all these types in agricultural and culinary usage (see terminology of vegetables). Potatoes are technically tubers, not roots, and sweet potatoes are tuberous roots. 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 In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may o ...
s. They differ in the concentration and the balance among
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 die ...
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, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or do ...
s, and other types of carbohydrate. Of particular economic importance are those with a high carbohydrate concentration in the form of starch; starchy root vegetables are important staple foods, particularly in tropical regions, overshadowing
cereal A cereal is any grass cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran. Cereal grain crops are grown in greater quantities and provide more food ...
s throughout much of
Central Africa Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Co ...
,
West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali ...
and
Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million ...
, where they are used directly or mashed to make foods such as
fufu Fufu (or fufuo, foofoo, foufou ) is a dough-like food found in West African cuisine. In addition to Ghana, it is also found in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Cote D'Ivoire, Benin, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the ...
or poi. Many root vegetables keep well in root cellars, lasting several months. This is one way of storing food for use long after harvest, which is especially important in nontropical
latitude In geography, latitude is a 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 the south pole to 90° at the north ...
s, where
winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate 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. Different cultur ...
is traditionally a time of little to no harvesting. There are also
season extension Season extension in agriculture is any method that allows a crop to be grown beyond its normal outdoor growing season and harvesting time frame, or the extra time thus achieved. To extend the growing season into the colder months, one can use un ...
methods that can extend the harvest throughout the winter, mostly through the use of
polytunnel A polytunnel (also known as a polyhouse, hoop greenhouse or hoophouse, grow tunnel or high tunnel) is a tunnel typically made from steel and covered in polyethylene, usually semi-circular, square or elongated in shape. The interior heats up bec ...
s.


List of root vegetables

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


Modified plant stem

*
Corm A 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 ' ...
**'' Amorphophallus konjac'' (konjac) ** '' Colocasia esculenta'' (taro) ** '' Eleocharis dulcis'' (Chinese water chestnut) ** '' Ensete'' spp. (enset) ** '' Nymphaea'' spp. (waterlily) ** ''
Pteridium esculentum ''Pteridium esculentum'', commonly known as bracken fern, Austral bracken or simply bracken, is a species of the bracken genus native to a number of countries in the Southern Hemisphere. Esculentum means edible. First described as ''Pteris escu ...
'' ** '' Sagittaria'' spp. (arrowhead or wapatoo) ** '' Typha spp. ** ''
Xanthosoma ''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food st ...
'' spp. (malanga, cocoyam, tannia, yautia and other names) ** ''
Colocasia antiquorum Eddoe or eddo is a tropical vegetable often considered identifiable as the species ''Colocasia antiquorum'', closely related to taro (dasheen, ''Colocasia esculenta''), which is primarily used for its thickened stems (corms).Purseglove, J.W. 197 ...
'' (eddoe or Japanese potato) *
Bulb In botany, a bulb is structurally a short 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 dur ...
** '' Allium cepa'' (onion) ** ''
Allium sativum Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Welsh onion and Chinese onion. It is native to South Asia, Central Asia and northeastern ...
'' (garlic) ** '' Camassia quamash'' (blue camas) ** ''
Foeniculum vulgare Fennel (''Foeniculum vulgare'') is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized ...
'' (fennel) * Rhizome ** '' Curcuma longa'' (turmeric) ** '' Panax ginseng'' (ginseng) ** ''
Arthropodium ''Arthropodium'' is a genus of herbaceous perennial plants in the subfamily Lomandroideae of the family Asparagaceae. It is native to Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia and Madagascar. The rhizomes of some species can be eaten as root vegetab ...
'' spp. (rengarenga, vanilla lily, and others) ** '' Canna'' spp. (canna) ** '' Cordyline fruticosa'' (ti) ** '' Maranta arundinacea'' (arrowroot) ** ''
Nelumbo nucifera ''Nelumbo nucifera'', also known as sacred lotus, Laxmi lotus, Indian lotus, or simply lotus, is one of two extant species of aquatic plant in the family Nelumbonaceae. It is sometimes colloquially called a water lily, though this more often ...
'' (lotus root) ** '' Typha'' spp. (cattail or bulrush) ** '' Zingiber officinale'' (ginger, galangal) * Tuberous stem ** '' Apios americana'' (hog potato or groundnut) ** ''
Cyperus esculentus ''Cyperus esculentus'' (also called chufa, tiger nut, atadwe, yellow nutsedge, and earth almond) is a species of plant in the sedge family widespread across much of the world. It is found in most of the Eastern Hemisphere, including Southern Eur ...
'' (tigernut or chufa) ** ''
Helianthus tuberosus The Jerusalem artichoke (''Helianthus tuberosus''), also called sunroot, sunchoke, wild sunflower, topinambur, or earth apple, is a species of sunflower native to central North America. It is cultivated widely across the temperate zone for its ...
'' (Jerusalem artichoke or sunchoke) ** '' Hemerocallis'' spp. (daylily) ** '' Lathyrus tuberosus'' (earthnut pea) ** ''
Oxalis tuberosa ''Oxalis tuberosa'' is a perennial herbaceous plant that overwinters as underground stem tubers. These tubers are known as uqa in Quechua, oca in Spanish, yam in New Zealand and a number of other alternative names. The plant was brought into cul ...
'' (oca or New Zealand yam) ** '' Plectranthus edulis'' and '' P. esculentus'' (kembili, dazo, and others) ** '' Solanum tuberosum'' (potato) ** ''
Stachys affinis ''Stachys affinis'', commonly called crosne, Chinese artichoke, Japanese artichoke, knotroot, or artichoke betony, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the family Lamiaceae, originating from China. Its rhizome is a root vegetable that can be eate ...
'' (Chinese artichoke or crosne) ** '' Tropaeolum tuberosum'' (mashua or añu) ** '' Ullucus tuberosus'' (ulluku)


Root-like stem

*'' Zamia integrifolia'' (Florida arrowroot)


True root

* 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 ...
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 gr ...
'' ( beet and mangelwurzel) ** '' Brassica'' spp. ( kohlrabi, rutabaga and turnip) ** ''
Bunium persicum ''Elwendia persica'' is a plant species in the family Apiaceae. It is related to cumin (''Cuminum cyminum'') and sometimes called black cumin, blackseed,, black caraway, and has a smoky, earthy taste. It is often confused with ''Nigella sativa'' ...
'' (black cumin) **
Burdock ''Arctium'' is a genus of biennial plants commonly known as burdock, family Asteraceae. Native to Europe and Asia, several species have been widely introduced worldwide. Burdock's clinging properties, in addition to providing an excellent mech ...
(''Arctium, family Asteraceae'') **
Carrot The carrot ('' Daucus carota'' subsp. ''sativus'') is a root vegetable, typically orange in color, though purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist, all of which are domesticated forms of the wild carrot, ''Daucus carota'', na ...
(''Daucus carota subsp. sativus'') **
Celeriac Celeriac (''Apium graveolens'' var. ''rapaceum''), also called celery root, knob celery, and turnip-rooted celery (although it is not a close relative of the turnip), is a variety of celery cultivated for its edible stem or hypocotyl, and sh ...
(''Apium graveolens rapaceum'') **
Daikon Daikon or mooli, ''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, daikon is harvested and consume ...
– the large East Asian white radish (''Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus'') ** Dandelion (''Taraxacum'') spp. ** '' Lepidium meyenii'' (maca) ** ''
Microseris lanceolata ''Microseris lanceolata'' is an Australian alpine herb with yellow flowers and one of three plants known as murnong or yam daisy along with ''Microseris scapigera'' and ''Microseris walteri.'' The plant is found in southern parts of Australia, ...
'' (murnong or yam daisy) ** '' Pachyrhizus'' spp. ( jicama and ahipa) ** Parsnip (''Pastinaca sativa'') ** ''
Petroselinum ''Petroselinum'' (parsley) is a genus of two species of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, native to western and southern Europe and northern Africa.The Euro+Med Plantbase Project''Petroselinum''/ref> They are bright green hairless biennia ...
'' spp. (
parsley Parsley, or garden parsley (''Petroselinum crispum'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to the central and eastern Mediterranean region (Sardinia, Lebanon, Israel, Cyprus, Turkey, southern Italy, Greece, ...
root) ** Radish (''Raphanus sativus'') ** ''
Scorzonera hispanica ''Scorzonera hispanica'', commonly known as black salsify or Spanish salsify, also known as black oyster plant, serpent root, viper's herb, viper's grass or simply scorzonera, is a perennial member of the genus ''Scorzonera'' in the sunflower fa ...
'' (black salsify) ** ''
Sium sisarum ''Sium sisarum'', commonly known as skirret, is a perennial plant of the family Apiaceae sometimes grown as a root vegetable. The English name skirret is derived from the Middle English 'skirwhit' or 'skirwort', meaning 'white root'. In Scotland ...
'' (skirret) ** '' Tragopogon'' spp. ( salsify) ** '' Vigna lanceolata'' (bush carrot or bush potato) * Tuberous root ** ''Amorphophallus galbra'' (yellow lily yam) ** '' Conopodium majus'' (pignut or earthnut) ** '' Dioscorea'' spp. ( yams,
ube UBE or Ube may refer to: * Ubiquitin-activating enzyme * Ube, Yamaguchi, a city in Japan * Uniform Bar Examination * Unilateral Biportal Endoscopy * Ube Industries, chemical company * Union bound estimate, a probability theory bound * Union of Bo ...
) ** '' 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 native plant. It is found in northern Australia, from Western Australia, through the Northern Territory, to Queensland. Its tubers provide a form of bush tucker to s ...
'' (desert yam) ** '' Manihot esculenta'' (cassava or yuca or manioc) ** ''
Mirabilis expansa ''Mirabilis expansa'' (mauka or chago) is a species of flowering plant cultivated as a root vegetable in the Andes, at cold, windy altitudes between and .Flores, H., Walker, T., Guimaraes, R., Bais, H., Vivanco, J. (2003). Andean Root and Tuber ...
'' (mauka or chago) ** ''
Psoralea esculenta ''Psoralea esculenta'', common name prairie turnip or timpsula, is an herbaceous perennial plant native to prairies and dry woodlands of central North America, which bears a starchy tuberous root edible as a root vegetable. The plant is also kn ...
'' (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 *'' Small ...
'' (yacón)


References


External links

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