root crop

Root vegetables are plant roots used as vegetables. Here "root" means any underground part of a plant^[1] (except that peanuts, which are underground seeds, are seldom called root vegetables).

Root vegetables are generally storage organs, enlarged to store energy in the form of carbohydrates. They differ in the concentration and the balance between sugars, starches, and other types of carbohydrate.

Of particular economic importance are those with a high carbohydrate concentration in the form of starch. These starchy root vegetables are important staple foods, particularly in tropical regions. They overshadow the cereals throughout much of West Africa, Central Africa, and Oceania, where they are used directly or mashed to make foufou or poi.

Some Jains are opposed to eating root vegetables for ethical reasons.

Botany distinguishes true roots such as tuberous roots and taproots from non-roots such as tubers, rhizomes, corms, and bulbs. (Several types contain both taproot and hypocotyl tissue, and it may be difficult to tell some types apart.) In ordinary, agricultural, and culinary use, "root vegetable" can apply to all these types.^[2] The following list classifies root vegetables according to anatomy.

List of underground vegetables by anatomical type

It has been suggested that this section be split into a new article titled List of underground vegetables. (Discuss)

Foeniculum vulgare (Fennel), whose root is used in many cuisines.

• True root
  • Taproot (some types may incorporate substantial hypocotyl tissue)

Carrot roots

• • • Apium graveolens (celeriac)
    • Arctium spp. (burdock or gobo)
    • Arracacia xanthorrhiza (arracacha)
    • Abelmoschus moschatus (bush carrot)
    • Beta vulgaris (beet and mangelwurzel)
    • Brassica spp. (rutabaga and turnip)
    • Bunium persicum (black cumin)
    • Daucus carota (carrot)
    • Lepidium meyenii (maca)
    • Microseris scapigera (yam daisy)
    • Pachyrhizus spp. (jicama and ahipa)
    • Pastinaca sativa (parsnip)
    • Petroselinum spp. (parsley root)
    • Raphanus sativus (daikon and radish)
    • Scorzonera hispanica (black salsify)
    • Sium sisarum (skirret)
    • Tragopogon spp. (salsify)
    • Vigna lanceolata (bush potato)
  • Tuberous root

Cassava tuberous roots

• • • Amorphophallus glabra (Yellow lily yam)
    • Conopodium majus (pignut or earthnut)
    • Hornstedtia scottiana (Native ginger)
    • Ipomoea batatas (sweet potato)
    • Ipomoea costata (desert yam)
    • Manihot esculenta (cassava or yucca or manioc)
    • Mirabilis extensa (mauka or chago)
    • Psoralea esculenta (breadroot, tipsin, or prairie turnip)
    • Smallanthus sonchifolius (yacón)
• Modified stem
  • Corm

Taro corms

• • • Amorphophallus konjac (konjac)
    • Colocasia esculenta (taro)
    • Eleocharis dulcis (Chinese water chestnut)
    • Ensete spp. (enset)
    • Nelumbo nucifera
    • Nymphaea spp. (waterlily)
    • Pteridium esculentum
    • Sagittaria spp. (arrowhead or wapatoo)
    • Typha spp.
    • Xanthosoma spp. (malanga, cocoyam, tannia, and other names)
  • Rhizome

Ginger rhizomes

• • • Curcuma longa (turmeric)
    • Panax ginseng (ginseng)
    • Arthropodium spp. (rengarenga, vanilla lily, and others)
    • Canna spp. (canna)
    • Cordyline fruticosa (ti)
    • Maranta arundinacea (arrowroot)
    • Nelumbo nucifera (lotus root)
    • Typha spp. (cattail or bulrush)
    • Zingiber officinale (ginger, galangal)
  • Tuber

Yam tubers

• • • Apios americana (hog potato or groundnut)
    • Cyperus esculentus (tigernut or chufa)
    • Dioscorea spp. (yams, ube)
    • Helianthus tuberosus (Jerusalem artichoke or sunchoke)
    • Hemerocallis spp. (daylily)
    • Lathyrus tuberosus (earthnut pea)
    • Oxalis tuberosa (oca or New Zealand yam)
    • Plectranthus edulis and P. esculentus (kembili, dazo, and others)
    • Solanum tuberosum (potato)
    • Stachys affinis (Chinese artichoke or crosne)
    • Tropaeolum tuberosum (mashua or añu)
    • Ullucus tuberosus (ulluco)
• Other
  • Bulb

Shallot bulbs

• • • Allium spp. (garlic, onion, shallot, et cetera)
    • Camassia quamash (quamash)
    • Cyperus bulbosus (bush onion)
    • Caladenia
    • Cryptostylis
    • Cymbidium canaliculatum
    • Diuris
    • Dipodium
    • Erythronium spp. (katakuri)
    • Geodorum
    • Glossodia
    • Lilium spp. (lilies)
    • Lypernathus
    • Microtis
    • Prasophyllum
    • Pterostylis
    • Tacca leontopetaloides
    • Thelymitra

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Root vegetables

• Root and tuber crops at the University of Georgia
• Wayne's Word

Notes