Editing Root vegetable

{{short description|Plant roots used as a vegetable}}
[[File:CarrotDiversityLg.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|Carrot roots come in various shapes and colors]]
{{More citations needed|date=July 2024}}

'''Root vegetables''' are underground plant parts eaten by humans or animals as [[food]]. In agricultural and culinary terminology, the term applies to true [[root]]s, such as [[taproot]]s and [[tuberous root|root tuber]]s, as well as non-roots such as [[bulb]]s, [[corm]]s, [[rhizome]]s, and [[Stem tuber|stem tubers]].<ref>{{cite book |last=López Camelo |first=Andrés F. |year=2004 |title=Manual for the Preparation and Sale of Fruits and Vegetables |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_DwUdO9hPZ7sC/page/n14 6] |isbn=92-5-104991-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_DwUdO9hPZ7sC |access-date=2009-07-31 |quote=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 called tuberous roots.</ref>

== Description ==
Root vegetables are generally [[storage organ]]s, enlarged to store energy in the form of [[carbohydrate]]s. They differ in the concentration and balance of [[starch]]es, [[sugar]]s, and other carbohydrates.

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

=== Modified plant stem ===
{{further|Plant stem}}
[[File:Colocasia esculenta dsc07801.jpg|thumb|Taro corms]]
* [[Corm]]
**''[[Amorphophallus konjac]]'' (konjac)
** ''[[Colocasia esculenta]]'' (taro)
** ''[[Eleocharis dulcis]]'' (Chinese water chestnut)
** ''[[Ensete]]'' spp. (enset)
** ''[[Nymphaea]]'' spp. (waterlily)
** ''[[Pteridium esculentum]]''
** ''[[Sagittaria]]'' spp. (arrowhead or wapatoo)
** ''[[Typha]] spp.
** ''[[Xanthosoma]]'' spp. (malanga, cocoyam, tannia, yautia and other names)
** ''[[Eddoe|Colocasia antiquorum]]'' (eddoe or Japanese potato)
[[File:- Ginger -.jpg|right|thumb|Ginger rhizomes]]
* [[Bulb]]
** ''[[Allium cepa]]'' (onion)
** ''[[Allium sativum]]'' (garlic)
** ''[[Camassia quamash]]'' (blue camas)
** ''[[Foeniculum vulgare]]'' (fennel)
* [[Rhizome]]
** ''[[Curcuma longa]]'' (turmeric)
** ''[[Panax ginseng]]'' (ginseng)
** ''[[Alpinia galanga]]'' (galangal)
** ''[[Arthropodium]]'' spp. (rengarenga, vanilla lily, and others)
** ''[[Canna (plant)|Canna]]'' spp. (canna)
** ''[[Cordyline fruticosa]]'' (ti)
** ''[[Maranta arundinacea]]'' (arrowroot)
** ''[[Nelumbo nucifera]]'' (lotus root)
** ''[[Typha]]'' spp. (cattail or bulrush)
** ''[[Zingiber officinale]]'' (ginger)
[[File:YamsatBrixtonMarket.jpg|right|thumb|Yam tubers]]
* [[Tuber|Tuberous stem]]
** ''[[Apios americana]]'' (hog potato or groundnut)
** ''[[Cyperus esculentus]]'' (tigernut or chufa)
** ''[[Helianthus tuberosus]]'' (Jerusalem artichoke or sunchoke)
** ''[[Hemerocallis]]'' spp. (daylily)
** ''[[Lathyrus tuberosus]]'' (earthnut pea)
** ''[[Oxalis tuberosa]]'' (oca or New Zealand yam)
** ''[[Plectranthus edulis]]'' and ''[[Plectranthus esculentus|P. esculentus]]'' (kembili, dazo, and others)
** ''[[Solanum tuberosum]]'' (potato)
** ''[[Stachys affinis]]'' (Chinese artichoke or crosne)
** ''[[Tropaeolum tuberosum]]'' (mashua or añu)
** ''[[Ullucus tuberosus]]'' (ulluku)

=== Root-like stem ===
*''[[Zamia integrifolia]]'' (Florida arrowroot)

=== True root ===
{{further|root}}
[[File:Turnip 2622027.jpg |thumb|right|Turnips, a taproot]]
* [[Taproot]] (some types may incorporate substantial [[hypocotyl]] tissue)
** ''[[ Arracacia xanthorrhiza]]'' (arracacha)
** ''[[Beta vulgaris]]'' ([[beet]] and [[mangelwurzel]])
** ''[[Brassica]]'' spp. ([[kohlrabi]], [[rutabaga]] and [[turnip]])
** ''[[Bunium persicum]]'' (black cumin)
** [[Burdock]] (''Arctium, family Asteraceae'')
** [[Carrot]] (''Daucus carota subsp. sativus'')
** [[Celeriac]] (''Apium graveolens rapaceum'')
** [[Daikon]] – the large East Asian white radish (''Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus'')
** [[Dandelion]] (''Taraxacum'') spp.
** [[Horseradish]] (''Armoracia rusticana'')
** ''[[Lepidium meyenii]]'' (maca)
** ''[[Microseris lanceolata]]'' (murnong or yam daisy)
** ''[[Pachyrhizus]]'' spp. ([[jicama]] and ahipa)
** [[Parsnip]] (''Pastinaca sativa'')
** ''[[Petroselinum]]'' spp. ([[parsley]] root)
** [[Radish]] (''Raphanus sativus'')
** ''[[Scorzonera hispanica]]'' (black salsify)
** ''[[Sium sisarum]]'' (skirret)
** ''[[Tragopogon]]'' spp. ([[Tragopogon porrifolius|salsify]])
** ''[[Vigna lanceolata]]'' (bush carrot or bush potato)
[[File:Manihot esculenta dsc07325.jpg|right|thumb|Cassava tuberous roots]]
* [[Tuberous root]]
** ''[[Amorphophallus galbra]]'' (yellow lily yam)
** ''[[Conopodium majus]]'' (pignut or earthnut)
** ''[[Dioscorea]]'' spp. ([[yam (vegetable)|yams]], [[Purple yam|ube]])
** ''[[Dioscorea polystachya]]'' (nagaimo, Chinese yam, Korean yam, mountain yam, white ñame)
** ''[[Hornstedtia scottiana]]'' (native ginger)
** ''[[Ipomoea batatas]]'' (sweet potato)
** ''[[Ipomoea costata]]'' (desert yam)
** ''[[Manihot esculenta]]'' (cassava or yuca or manioc)
** ''[[Mirabilis expansa]]'' (mauka or chago)
** ''[[Pediomelum esculentum]]'' (breadroot, tipsin, or prairie turnip)
** ''[[Smallanthus sonchifolius]]'' (yacón)

== Uses ==
Many root vegetables keep well in [[root cellar]]s, lasting several months. This is one way of [[food storage|storing food]] for use long after [[harvest]], which is especially important in nontropical [[latitude]]s, where [[winter]] is traditionally a time of little to no harvesting. There are also [[season extension]] methods that can extend the harvest throughout the winter, mostly through the use of [[polytunnel]]s.

Starchy root vegetables are of particular economic importance as [[staple food]]s, especially in [[tropical regions]]. They overshadow [[cereal]]s throughout much of [[Central Africa|Central]] and [[West Africa]], as well as [[Oceania]], in these areas being used directly or mashed to make foods such as [[fufu]] or [[poi (food)|poi]].

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Root vegetables}}
* {{cite web |last1=Armstrong |first1=Wayne P. |title=Wayne's Word: Vegetables From Underground |url=https://www2.palomar.edu/users/warmstrong/vege1.htm |website=Palomar College |access-date=16 January 2020 |archive-date=29 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129094421/https://www2.palomar.edu/users/warmstrong/vege1.htm |url-status=dead }}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Root vegetables|']]
[[Category:Edible plants|'vegetables, root]]
[[Category:Lists of foods|vegetables, root]]