{{no footnotes, date=March 2013 Edible plant stems are one part of plants that are eaten by humans. Most plants are made up of stems, roots,

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

, flowers, and produce fruits containing seeds. Humans most commonly eat the seeds (e.g. maize, wheat), fruit (e.g. tomato, avocado,

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

), flowers (e.g. broccoli), leaves (e.g. lettuce,

spinach Spinach (''Spinacia oleracea'') is a leafy green flowering plant native to central and western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common edible vegetable consumed either f ...

, and

cabbage Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of ''Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.&nb ...

), roots (e.g.

carrot The carrot ('' Daucus carota'' subsp. ''sativus'') is a root vegetable, typically orange in color, though purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist, all of which are domesticated forms of the wild carrot, ''Daucus carota'', nat ...

s, beets), and stems (e.g. sparagusof many plants. There are also a few edible petioles (also known as leaf stems) such as celery or

rhubarb Rhubarb is the fleshy, edible stalks ( petioles) of species and hybrids (culinary rhubarb) of ''Rheum'' in the family Polygonaceae, which are cooked and used for food. The whole plant – a herbaceous perennial growing from short, thick rhizo ...

. Plant stems have a variety of functions. Stems support the entire plant and have 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 phylloids,

stolon In biology, stolons (from Latin '' stolō'', genitive ''stolōnis'' – "branch"), also known as runners, are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external s ...

s, runners, or spurs. Modified stems located below ground are corms,

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

s, and tubers.

Detailed description of edible plant stems

; Asparagus : The edible portion is the rapidly emerging stems that arise from the crowns in the ; 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 the peduncle stem tissue, flower buds, and some small leaves. ;

Cauliflower Cauliflower is one of several vegetables in the species ''Brassica oleracea'' in the genus ''Brassica'', which is in the Brassicaceae (or mustard) family. It is an annual plant that reproduces by seed. Typically, only the head is eaten – the ...

: The edible portion is proliferated peduncle and flower tissue. ;

Cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfa ...

: Many favor the unique sweet flavor of the inner

bark Bark may refer to: * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Places * Bark, Germany * Bark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland Arts, ...

of cinnamon, and it is commonly used as a spice. ;

Fig The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...

: The edible portion is stem tissue. The fig "fruit" is actually an inverted flower cluster with both the male and female flower parts enclosed inside the base of the inflorescence, corresponding to the peduncle. ;

Ginger root Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is a herbaceous perennial which grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of lea ...

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

Kohlrabi Kohlrabi (pronounced ; scientific name ''Brassica oleracea'' Gongylodes Group), also called German turnip or turnip cabbage, is a biennial vegetable, a low, stout cultivar of wild cabbage. It is a cultivar of the same species as cabbage, broccol ...

: The edible portion is an enlarged (swollen) hypocotyl. It is a member of the cabbage family and is white, green, or purple in color. ; Lotus root : The edible portion is a stem modified for underwater growth. Buds and branches are visible on the vegetable sold as lotus root. ; Potato : The edible portion is a rhizome (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. ; 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 Maple sugar is a traditional sweetener in Canada and the northeastern United States, prepared from the sap of the maple tree ("maple sap"). Sources Three species of maple trees in the genus '' Acer'' are predominantly used to produce maple ...

and

maple syrup Maple syrup is a syrup made from the sap of maple trees. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in late winter and early spring. Maple tree ...

. ; Taro : The edible portion is the underground stem (corm). ; Wasabi : In addition to its edible stem, the leaves and rhizomes of the plant are edible. It has an interesting spicy taste. ; White pine : The sweet inner bark (phloem) was eaten by Native Americans.

Some wild plants with edible stems

There are also many wild edible plant stems. In

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, these include the shoots of

woodsorrel ''Oxalis'' ( (American English) or (British English)) is a large genus of flowering plants in the wood-sorrel family Oxalidaceae, comprising over 550 species. The genus occurs throughout most of the world, except for the polar areas; species ...

(usually eaten along with the leaves), chickweeds, galinsoga,

common purslane ''Portulaca oleracea'' (common purslane, also known as little hogweed, or pursley) is an Annual plant, annual (actually tropical perennial in USDA growing Hardiness zone, zones 10–11) succulent in the family Portulacaceae. Description The p ...

, Japanese knotweed,

winter cress ''Barbarea'' (winter cress or yellow rocket) is a genus of about 22 species of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in southern Europe and southwe ...

and other wild mustards, thistles (de-thorned), stinging nettles (cooked), bellworts, violets, amaranth and slippery elm, among many others. Also, some wild plants with edible

s (underground, horizontal stems) can be found, such as arrowhead or cattail. 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 is wise to read up on the plant before experimenting with eating it.

Sources and external links

*Albuquerque Master Gardeners. (2005, May 23). ''Basic Plant Science (Botany)''. Retrieved July 15, 2005, fro
www.nmmastergardeners.org/Manual%20etc/Supplementfiles/Botany.htm
*Hershey, D. (2001, May 4). ''Re: What plant parts do we eat?''. Message posted t
www.madsci.org
*Lineberger, D. (spring 2005). ''Aggie Horticulture’s edible botany''. Retrieved July 15, 2005, fro

*McEachern, G. R. (1996, December 9). ''Figs''. Retrieved July 15, 2005, fro

*Oregon State University Extension Service. (1999). ''Master Gardener Handbook'': external plant parts—stems. Retrieved July 15, 2005, fro

*Wilson, H. D. (1998, July 7). Plants and People—Botany 328, ''Lab 1—Plant Vegetative Morphology and Vegetables''. Retrieved July 15, 2005, fro

*Institute for the Study of Edible Wild Plants & Other Foragable
Link
* Vegetables, stem