Are There Other Plants That Look Like Rhubarb?
Botanically, rhubarb is actually a vegetable, not a fruit.
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Rhubarb (Rheum spp.), hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 8, is a perennial garden plant that has tart-tasting stems used in pies, jellies, and preserves. It has large leaves and red, ornamental stems that make it as attractive as it is tasty. The leaves are large, dark green and poisonous if eaten. They can get to 4 feet in height, depending on growing conditions and variety. Rhubarb stalks should not be harvested the first year, but after two to three years of growth when stalks are at least 1 inch wide. There are several plants that resemble rhubarb.
Plants Similar to Rhubarb
One plant that resembles rhubarb is the giant rhubarb (Gunnera spp.), a perennial plant with very large leaves that's hardy in USDA zones 7 through 9. It is much larger than rhubarb, potentially reaching nearly 10 feet tall, and the leaves are much more pleated than rhubarb. It is not edible. Another example includes Rhubarb chard (Beta vulgaris cicla), also known as Swiss chard, which is hardy in USDA zones 6 through 10, and which bears stems that may be bright red like rhubarb, but also may be yellow, orange, green or dark pink. Both have leaves with red veins, but overall it's smaller than rhubarb. Rhubarb chard is an annual vegetable and parts are edible.
Horticulture: Tasty Rhubarb, an Edible and Ornamental Plant
The Rhubarb Compendium: Things That Are Not Rhubarb
Perennials.com: Gunnera Manicata
Learn2Grow; Beta Vulgaris "Rhubarb"
Lori Norris has been writing professionally since 1998, specializing in horticulture. She has written articles for the Oregon Landscape Contractors Association, chapters of the certification manual for the Oregon Association of Nurseries and translated master gardener materials into Spanish. Norris holds a Bachelor of Arts from Linfield College.
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Norris, Lori. "Are There Other Plants That Look Like Rhubarb?" Home Guides | SF Gate, http://homeguides.sfgate.com/there-other-plants-look-like-rhubarb-82684.html. Accessed 15 July 2019.
Norris, Lori. (n.d.). Are There Other Plants That Look Like Rhubarb? Home Guides | SF Gate. Retrieved from http://homeguides.sfgate.com/there-other-plants-look-like-rhubarb-82684.html
Norris, Lori. "Are There Other Plants That Look Like Rhubarb?" accessed July 15, 2019. http://homeguides.sfgate.com/there-other-plants-look-like-rhubarb-82684.html
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