Now that you are familiar with some of the other plants that look like rhubarb, we are sure that you won’t make the mistake next time. If the plant has not produced any buds or burrs yet and is under 4 feet tall, look at the underside of the leaves. Copyright Leaf Group Ltd. // Leaf Group Lifestyle. Birds, the wind and other animals can spread seeds to various areas of your yard or garden. Learn which plants thrive in your Hardiness Zone with our new interactive map! Exotic Looking Rhubarb Plants Fill a Garden Space Before you harvest any rhubarb-looking plant – even one in your own yard – take a moment to verify that it's really rhubarb. Rich in antioxidants including anthocyanins, and proanthocyanidins which are also present in fruits, cocoa, and red wine.
If you need to pull or dig up the plant, wear gloves and a mask to avoid becoming ill. Keep your children and pets away from it. is used in medicine to treat certain conditions. The plant spreads and grows via the rhubarb crowns, and new plants can be propagated by dividing them. Height can also immediately tell you that a plant is not rhubarb. The roots can also be dried and used for medicinal purposes, but the effect is not as much as the garden rhubarb. You take a closer look at the plant and notice that it has the same leaves and stems, but you can swear that it is not the same rhubarb that you are used to. , it was discovered to have provided a positive result. If you need to pull or dig up the plant, wear gloves and a mask to avoid becoming ill. Plants produce large wavy leaves on thick stalks, like rhubarb, but they grow much larger and have stalks with reddish, rubbery prickles. In the UK, rhubarb is often referred to as a pie plant as it is used in making the traditional dessert pie. The active ingredients that make kale all that important. There are other plants that look similar to rhubarb, but are toxic lookalike plants that are inedible. If you have ever tried the dish before, you will notice the sour taste and wonder what is so particular about it. Stems can grow 5 to 8 feet long and leaves 6 to 10 feet across. However, take care when handling an unknown plant because Mount Sinai notes that burdock can cause an allergic skin reaction in some individuals. The English were the first to eat rhubarb, beginning in the 17th century, but unfortunately chose to begin with the leaves that look like chard. All Rights Reserved. Birds, the wind and other animals can spread seeds to various areas of your yard or garden. Other ways you can use rhubarb as part of your cooking include soups, sauces, tarts, cocktails, crumbles, and rhubarb cocktails. These plants are well-suited for growing in waterside areas, such as lakes, ponds and bogs, but unlike rhubarb, they are inedible. Before we go into listing the other plants that look like rhubarb, let’s familiarize ourselves with the original rhubarb herb and some of its benefits. Also, you'll notice that skunk cabbage's stems do not have any color on them. In. Most people add it as part of a dish, blend it into a jam, especially for use as a dessert. There are other plants that look similar to rhubarb, but are toxic lookalike plants that are inedible. Common burdock (Arctium minus), also known as wild rhubarb, is easily mistaken for rhubarb. Burdock (Arctium minus, USDA zones 4 through 10) is often mistaken for rhubarb thanks in part to its misleading common name: wild rhubarb. Swiss chard, a perfectly edible garden vegetable, can also sometimes look like rhubarb. You can distinguish this poisonous plant from rhubarb by looking at the stalks. The rhubarb plant is rich in nutrients that are beneficial to the body, which is why it is consumed despite its sour taste. It is also used in making herbal teas for the treatment of diarrhea, and for relieving symptoms of sore throat. In the US and most parts of Europe, the plant is cooked as part of a dish and sweetened, while in Asia, it is used mainly for medicinal purposes. Fiber plants are indeed great at reducing cholesterol levels in the body, but I said earlier, more research is needed to prove the health claims of rhubarb. They have purple spots on the stems, unlike the red-colored stalks of rhubarb. Rhubarb is used as part of a dish despite its sour taste due to its high nutritional content. Skunk cabbage grows in boggy or marshy areas, which is the first clue that you're not looking at rhubarb because rhubarb prefers well-draining soil.
It is a perennial crop that is grown mainly for use as a vegetable. You should not touch or ingest any parts of poison hemlock -- all parts are toxic and cause symptoms, such as dizziness and slowed heart rate within 20 minutes of ingestion. In a study carried out on men, it was discovered to have provided a positive result. If you would like to ask us any questions, feel free to do so in the comment section. Usually this case of mistaken identity happens in the veggie garden, where you may not have labelled the beds clearly or some rogue seeds wound up in the wrong spot. This plant's leaves grow to an enormous size of around 6 feet tall, and the entire plant can reach more than 8 feet tall, according to Gardeners HQ. If you are uncertain about the safety of the plant, you should ask your local gardener to be on the safe side. A lot of gardeners ask this question once they begin to notice weeds in their gardens that look like rhubarb. There are a few inedible weeds that look like rhubarb that could make you sick if you mistakenly eat them.
Prickly rhubarbs (Gunnera spp.) In other words, if you get a good whiff of the plant and immediately regret it, it's not rhubarb. Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) produces fernlike leaves; to the untrained eye, the stalks resemble those of rhubarb. These invasive, weedy plants thrive in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 through 10. It is also called the monk rhubarb but is not the same as the garden rhubarb. You can tell common burdock from rhubarb by its hollow stalks, fuzziness on the undersides of leaves and its height -- it grows up to 6 feet tall. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. Some people also report skin irritation or allergic reactions to the plant burs if they penetrate the skin. Finally, you can cut into the red stem for a tried-and-true identification method: Burdock has a hollow stem, whereas rhubarb does not. However, some of the benefits of the rhubarb plant include: In a study, it was presumed that rhubarb contained more polyphenol than kale. Everett, Editor, The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Gardening Volume 6; T.H. Unlike rhubarb, the stalks are taller and hollow. To add an extra dose of confusion, some of these weeds include the word "rhubarb" in their common names.
The plants do well in winter weather, which is why they are not common in the Middle East and Africa, due to the absence of cold winters. In the US and most parts of Europe, the plant is cooked as part of a dish and sweetened, while in Asia, it is used mainly for medicinal purposes. Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) produces fernlike leaves; to the untrained eye, the stalks resemble those of rhubarb. To prepare rhubarb for cooking, knowing what the plant looks like is a must.. The plant is found in the wild but is cultivated in gardens for use as an edible vegetable. If there's a coat of fuzz under the leaf, it's burdock, but if the underside of the leaf is smooth, it's rhubarb. When rhubarb goes to seed, it produces white or red flowers, not burrs. The dish tastes sour, which is why it is flavored to improve the taste.