# Root vegetable

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Plant roots used as a vegetable

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Carrot roots come in various shapes and colors

**Root vegetables** are underground plant parts eaten by humans and other animals as [food](/source/Food). In agricultural and culinary terminology, the term applies to true [roots](/source/Root), such as [taproots](/source/Taproot) and [root tubers](/source/Tuberous_root), as well as non-roots such as [bulbs](/source/Bulb), [corms](/source/Corm), [rhizomes](/source/Rhizome), and [stem tubers](/source/Stem_tuber).[1]

## Description

Root vegetables are generally energy [storage organs](/source/Storage_organ) containing [carbohydrates](/source/Carbohydrate) such as [starches](/source/Starch) and [sugars](/source/Sugar).[2]

## List of root vegetables

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

### Modified plant stem

Further information: [Plant stem](/source/Plant_stem)

Taro corms

- [Corm](/source/Corm) - *[Amorphophallus konjac](/source/Amorphophallus_konjac)* (konjac) - *[Colocasia esculenta](/source/Colocasia_esculenta)* (taro) - *[Eleocharis dulcis](/source/Eleocharis_dulcis)* (Chinese water chestnut) - *[Ensete](/source/Ensete)* spp. (enset) - *[Nymphaea](/source/Nymphaea)* spp. (waterlily) - *[Pteridium esculentum](/source/Pteridium_esculentum)* - *[Sagittaria](/source/Sagittaria)* spp. (arrowhead or wapato) - *[Typha](/source/Typha)* spp. - *[Xanthosoma](/source/Xanthosoma)* spp. (malanga, cocoyam, tannia, yautia and other names) - *[Colocasia antiquorum](/source/Eddoe)* (eddoe or Japanese potato)

Ginger rhizomes

- [Bulb](/source/Bulb) - *[Allium cepa](/source/Allium_cepa)* (onion) - *[Allium sativum](/source/Allium_sativum)* (garlic) - *[Camassia quamash](/source/Camassia_quamash)* (blue camas) - *[Foeniculum vulgare](/source/Foeniculum_vulgare)* (fennel)

- [Rhizome](/source/Rhizome) - *[Alpinia galanga](/source/Alpinia_galanga)* (galangal) - *[Arthropodium](/source/Arthropodium)* spp. (rengarenga, vanilla lily, and others) - *[Canna](/source/Canna_(plant))* spp. (canna) - *[Cordyline fruticosa](/source/Cordyline_fruticosa)* (ti) - *[Curcuma longa](/source/Curcuma_longa)* (turmeric) - *[Maranta arundinacea](/source/Maranta_arundinacea)* (arrowroot) - *[Nelumbo nucifera](/source/Nelumbo_nucifera)* (lotus root) - *[Panax ginseng](/source/Panax_ginseng)* (ginseng) - *[Typha](/source/Typha)* spp. (cattail or bulrush) - *[Zingiber officinale](/source/Zingiber_officinale)* (ginger)

Yam tubers

- [Tuberous stem](/source/Tuber) - *[Apios americana](/source/Apios_americana)* (hog potato or groundnut) - *[Cyperus esculentus](/source/Cyperus_esculentus)* (tigernut or chufa) - *[Helianthus tuberosus](/source/Helianthus_tuberosus)* (Jerusalem artichoke or sunchoke) - *[Hemerocallis](/source/Hemerocallis)* spp. (daylily) - *[Lathyrus tuberosus](/source/Lathyrus_tuberosus)* (earthnut pea) - *[Oxalis tuberosa](/source/Oxalis_tuberosa)* (oca or New Zealand yam) - *[Plectranthus edulis](/source/Plectranthus_edulis)* and *[P. esculentus](/source/Plectranthus_esculentus)* (kembili, dazo, and others) - *[Solanum tuberosum](/source/Solanum_tuberosum)* (potato) - *[Stachys affinis](/source/Stachys_affinis)* (Chinese artichoke or crosne) - *[Tropaeolum tuberosum](/source/Tropaeolum_tuberosum)* (mashua or añu) - *[Ullucus tuberosus](/source/Ullucus_tuberosus)* (ulluku)

### Root-like stem

- *[Zamia integrifolia](/source/Zamia_integrifolia)* (Florida arrowroot)

### True root

Further information: [Root](/source/Root)

Turnips, a taproot

- [Taproot](/source/Taproot) (some types may incorporate substantial [hypocotyl](/source/Hypocotyl) tissue) - *[Arracacia xanthorrhiza](/source/Arracacia_xanthorrhiza)* (arracacha) - *[Beta vulgaris](/source/Beta_vulgaris)* ([beet](/source/Beet) and [mangelwurzel](/source/Mangelwurzel)) - *[Brassica](/source/Brassica)* spp. ([kohlrabi](/source/Kohlrabi), [rutabaga](/source/Rutabaga) and [turnip](/source/Turnip)) - *[Bunium persicum](/source/Bunium_persicum)* (black cumin) - [Burdock](/source/Burdock) (*Arctium, family Asteraceae*) - [Carrot](/source/Carrot) (*Daucus carota subsp. sativus*) - [Celeriac](/source/Celeriac) (*Apium graveolens rapaceum*) - [Daikon](/source/Daikon) – the large East Asian white radish (*Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus*) - [Dandelion](/source/Dandelion) (*Taraxacum*) spp. - [Horseradish](/source/Horseradish) (*Armoracia rusticana*) - *[Lepidium meyenii](/source/Lepidium_meyenii)* (maca) - *[Microseris lanceolata](/source/Microseris_lanceolata)* (murnong or yam daisy) - *[Pachyrhizus](/source/Pachyrhizus)* spp. ([jicama](/source/Jicama) and ahipa) - [Parsnip](/source/Parsnip) (*Pastinaca sativa*) - *[Petroselinum](/source/Petroselinum)* spp. ([parsley](/source/Parsley) root) - [Radish](/source/Radish) (*Raphanus sativus*) - *[Scorzonera hispanica](/source/Scorzonera_hispanica)* (black salsify) - *[Sium sisarum](/source/Sium_sisarum)* (skirret) - *[Tragopogon](/source/Tragopogon)* spp. ([salsify](/source/Tragopogon_porrifolius)) - *[Vigna lanceolata](/source/Vigna_lanceolata)* (bush carrot or bush potato)

Cassava tuberous roots

- [Tuberous root](/source/Tuberous_root) - *[Amorphophallus galbra](/source/Amorphophallus_galbra)* (yellow lily yam) - *[Conopodium majus](/source/Conopodium_majus)* (pignut or earthnut) - *[Dioscorea](/source/Dioscorea)* spp. ([yams](/source/Yam_(vegetable)), [ube](/source/Purple_yam)) - *[Dioscorea polystachya](/source/Dioscorea_polystachya)* (nagaimo, Chinese yam, Korean yam, mountain yam, white ñame) - *[Hornstedtia scottiana](/source/Hornstedtia_scottiana)* (native ginger) - *[Ipomoea batatas](/source/Ipomoea_batatas)* (sweet potato or kūmara) - *[Ipomoea costata](/source/Ipomoea_costata)* (desert yam) - *[Manihot esculenta](/source/Manihot_esculenta)* (cassava or yuca or manioc) - *[Mirabilis expansa](/source/Mirabilis_expansa)* (mauka or chago) - *[Pediomelum esculentum](/source/Pediomelum_esculentum)* (breadroot, tipsin, or prairie turnip) - *[Smallanthus sonchifolius](/source/Smallanthus_sonchifolius)* (yacón)

## Uses

Many root vegetables keep well in [root cellars](/source/Root_cellar), lasting several months. This is one way of [storing food](/source/Food_storage) for use long after [harvest](/source/Harvest), which is especially important in nontropical [latitudes](/source/Latitude), where [winter](/source/Winter) is traditionally a time of little to no harvesting. There are also [season extension](/source/Season_extension) methods that can extend the harvest throughout the winter, mostly through the use of [polytunnels](/source/Polytunnel).

Starchy root vegetables are of particular economic importance as [staple foods](/source/Staple_food), especially in [tropical regions](/source/Tropical_regions). They overshadow [cereals](/source/Cereal) throughout much of [Central](/source/Central_Africa) and [West Africa](/source/West_Africa), as well as [Oceania](/source/Oceania), in these areas being used directly or mashed to make foods such as [fufu](/source/Fufu) or [poi](/source/Poi_(Hawaiian_food)).

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** López Camelo, Andrés F. (2004). [*Manual for the Preparation and Sale of Fruits and Vegetables*](https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_DwUdO9hPZ7sC). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. p. [6](https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_DwUdO9hPZ7sC/page/n14). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [92-5-104991-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/92-5-104991-2). Retrieved 2009-07-31. However, in the case of potatoes (Figure 10), sweet potatoes, and other root vegetables, readiness for harvest is based on the percentage of a specific size. Potatoes are technically not roots, and sweet potatoes are a type of root labeled as tuberous roots.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Vanderschuren, Hervé; Agusti, Javier (2022-06-20). ["Storage roots"](https://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(22)00429-8). *Current Biology*. **32** (12): R607–R609. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1016/j.cub.2022.03.034](https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.cub.2022.03.034). [hdl](/source/Hdl_(identifier)):[10251/198866](https://hdl.handle.net/10251%2F198866). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0960-9822](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0960-9822). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [35728538](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35728538).

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Root vegetables](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Root_vegetables).

- Armstrong, Wayne P. ["Wayne's Word: Vegetables From Underground"](https://web.archive.org/web/20220129094421/https://www2.palomar.edu/users/warmstrong/vege1.htm). *Palomar College*. Archived from [the original](https://www2.palomar.edu/users/warmstrong/vege1.htm) on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2020.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Root vegetable](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_vegetable) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_vegetable?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.