Rhubarb, << ROO bahrb, >> also called the pieplant, is a plant that produces reddish, juicy stalks. People use the stalks for food, usually in desserts. Rhubarb often is used in pie fillings and sauces. The plant forms a large, yellow storage root and a mass of feeder roots underground. Its rhizome (underground stem) produces buds from which grow long, thick leafstalks with large leaves. A person may become ill from eating the leaves because they contain poisonous oxalic acid salts (see Oxalic acid). Rhubarb originally came from Mongolia. It is now grown in many areas of the world.
Stores sell rhubarb fresh, frozen, or in cans. Many people prefer to cook the fresh stalks. Rhubarb contains some vitamin C.
Rhubarb plants produce many seeds, but plants from the seeds are not always like the parent plant. Growers plant pieces of the big storage root that have several buds from which new plants can grow. Rhubarb is one of the few perennial vegetables. Each plant lasts five to eight years. Rhubarb is relatively free from insect attack and suffers from few diseases.
