Edible plant stems

=Edible plant parts=

Most plants are made up of roots, stems, leaves, flowers, buds and produce fruits containing seeds. We most commonly eat the seeds (e.g. maize, wheat, coffee and various nuts), fruit (e.g. tomato and apple), leaves (e.g. lettuce, spinach, and cabbage), or roots (e.g. carrots and beets), but we also eat the stems of many plants (e.g. asparagus). There are also a few edible petioles (leaf stalks) such as celery, as well as some edible flowers.

The role of the plant stem

Plant stems have a variety of functions. Stems support the entire plant and bear buds, leaves, flowers, and fruits. Stems are also a vital connection between leaves and roots. They conduct water and mineral nutrients through xylem tissue from roots upward, and organic compounds and some mineral nutrients through phloem tissue in any direction within the plant. Apical meristems, located at the shoot tip and axillary buds on the stem, allow plants to increase in length, surface, and mass. In some plants, such as cactus, stems are specialized for photosynthesis and water storage.

Modified stems

Typical stems are located above ground, but there are modified stems that can be found either above or below ground. Modified stems located above ground are crowns, stolons, runners, or spurs. Modified stems located below ground are bulbs (which are actually primarily the enlarged base of the plant's leaves), corms, rhizomes, and tubers.

Detailed description of edible plant stems

; Asparagus : The edible portion is the rapidly emerging stems that arise from the crowns in the early spring.

; Bamboo : The edible portion is the young shoot (culm).

; Birch : Trunk sap is drunk as a tonic or rendered into birch syrup, vinegar, beer, soft drinks, and other foods.

; Broccoli : The edible portion is stem tissue, flower buds, and some small leaves.

; Cauliflower : The edible portion is proliferated stem and flower tissue.

; Cinnamon : The bark is used as a spice.

; Fig : The edible portion is stem tissue. The fig "fruit" is actually an inverted flower with both the male and female flower parts enclosed inside stem tissue.

; Garlic : The edible portion is predominantly swollen leaves with a bit of stem.

; Ginger root : The edible portion is a branched underground compressed stem also referred to as a rhizome.

; Kohlrabi : The edible portion is an enlarged (swollen) stem. It is a member of the cabbage family and is white, green, or purple in color.

; Leek : Similar to other members in the onion family, the edible portion is swollen leaves with a bit of stem.

; Lotus root : The edible portion is a stem modified for underwater growth. Buds and branches are visible on the vegetable sold as lotus root.

; Nopal : The edible portion is stem segments.

; Onion : The edible portion is swollen leaves with a bit of stem. They are bulbs which, like garlic and leeks, are modified stems in which the primary storage tissue is expanded leaf bases. They come in white, yellow, and red varieties.

; Potato : The edible portion is an underground stem that is also a tuber. The "eyes" of the potato are lateral buds. Potatoes come in white, yellow, orange, or purple-colored varieties.

; Radish : The edible portion is a combination of root and stem tissue, but is mainly stem.

; Sassafras : The shoots and stem bark are sometimes used to make root beer.

; Shallot : Also a member of the onion family, the edible portion is mainly swollen leaves with a bit of stem.

; Sugar cane : The edible portion is the inner stalk (stem) whose sap is a source of sugar. In its raw form chewing or extraction through a juicer extracts its juice.

; Sugar maple : Xylem sap from the tree trunks is made into maple sugar and maple syrup.

; Taro : The edible portion is the underground stem (corm).

; White pine : The sweet inner bark (phloem) was eaten by native Americans.

ome wild plants with edible stems

There are also many wild edible plant stems. In North America, these include the shoots of common milkweed, Solomon's seal, wood sorrel (usually eaten with the leaves), blackberry and raspberry (pealed), chickweeds, galinsoga, pokeweed, Japanese knotweed, saxifrage, cleavers, wild leeks, wild onion, nodding wild onion, field garlic, wild garlic, winter cress and other wild mustards, thistles (de-thorned), stinging nettles and wood nettles (cooked), burdock, bellworts, jewelweed, spiderwort, violets, carrion flower, twisted-stalk, amaranth, pine and slippery elm, among many others. Also, some wild plants with edible rhizomes (underground, horizontal stems) can be found, such as cattail, ground nut, Solomon's seal and false Solomon's seal. Wild edible tubers include arrowhead, and many more. It should be noted that wild edible stems, like their domestic relatives, are usually only good when young and growing. Many of these also require preparation (as do many domestic plants, such as the potato), so it would be wise to read up on the plant before experimenting.

ee also

*Leaf vegetable
*List of edible seeds
*List of fruits
*List of herbs and spices
*List of vegetables
*Root vegetable

References and external links

*Albuquerque Master Gardeners. (2005, May 23). "Basic Plant Science (Botany)". Retrieved July 15, 2005, from [http://www.nmmastergardeners.org/Manual%20etc/Supplementfiles/Botany.htm www.nmmastergardeners.org/Manual%20etc/Supplementfiles/Botany.htm]
*Hershey, D. (2001, May 4). "Re: What plant parts do we eat?". Message posted to [http://www.madsci.org www.madsci.org]
*Lineberger, D. (spring 2005). "Aggie Horticulture’s edible botany". Retrieved July 15, 2005, from [http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/syllabi/201h/ediblebotany/index.html aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/syllabi/201h/ediblebotany/index.html]
*McEachern, G. R. (1996, December 9). "Figs". Retrieved July 15, 2005, from [http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/fruit/figs/figs.html aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/fruit/figs/figs.html]
*Oregon State University Extension Service. (1999). "Master Gardener Handbook": external plant parts—stems. Retrieved July 15, 2005, from [http://extension.oregonstate.edu/mg/botany/stems6.html extension.oregonstate.edu/mg/botany/stems6.html]
*Wilson, H. D. (1998, July 7). Plants and People—Botany 328, "Lab 1—Plant Vegetative Morphology and Vegetables". Retrieved July 15, 2005, from [http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/Wilson/pp/su98/veglablist.htm www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/Wilson/pp/su98/veglablist.htm]
*Institute for the Study of Edible Wild Plants & Other Foragables [http://www.wildfoodadventures.com/ Link] By Megan Lee

External links