Rheum rhaponticum

What to Eat

Edible parts: Stalks

The leaf stem can be eaten raw or cooked, with an acid flavour suited to use as a fruit substitute in tarts and similar dishes. The young flower pouch, harvested before the flowers open, is said to make a dish of great delicacy.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant.

Asia, Balkans, Bulgaria, Canada, Europe, North America, SE Asia, Siberia, Slovenia, USA, Vietnam,

How to Identify

A hardy perennial rhubarb reaching 1.2 m tall, suitable for UK zone 3. Wind-pollinated hermaphroditic flowers appear in June with seeds ripening in July. Tolerates loamy or heavy clay soils with mildly acid to alkaline pH; prefers well-drained, moist conditions and grows in semi-shade or full sun.

Nutrition Score: 16/100

How to Grow

Prefers a deep, fertile, moderately heavy, humus rich, moisture retentive, well-drained soil in sun or semi-shade. Shade tolerant, but plants prefer a sunny position. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Hardy to at least -20°c. This species is probably a parent of the cultivated rhubarb, R. x cultorum. Plants in this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus.

Propagation: Seed is best sown in autumn in a shaded cold frame, though spring sowing in a cold frame is also possible. Once seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots and grow them on in a greenhouse or cold frame through their first winter, then plant out in spring. For division, work in early spring or autumn, splitting the rootstock with a sharp spade or knife and ensuring at least one growth bud per division. Larger divisions can go directly into their permanent positions; smaller ones are better potted up and grown on in light shade in a cold frame until well established before planting out in late spring or early summer.

Medicinal Uses

Rhubarb has a long and proven history of herbal use, primarily exerting a positive and balancing effect on the whole digestive system, and is among the most widely used herbs in Chinese medicine, where R. palmatum is the main species. Although the chemistry of this species differs slightly, it is used interchangeably. One report notes that this species contains only small quantities of the medicinally active compounds and is therefore used only as a mild laxative. The root is anticholesterolemic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antitumor, aperient, astringent, cholagogue, demulcent, diuretic, laxative, purgative, stomachic, and tonic. Small doses act as an astringent tonic to the digestive system, while larger doses act as a mild laxative. It is taken internally for chronic constipation, diarrhoea, liver and gall bladder complaints, haemorrhoids, menstrual problems, and skin eruptions caused by an accumulation of toxins. It is not prescribed for pregnant or lactating women, nor for patients with intestinal obstruction. Externally, the root is used in the treatment of burns. Roots are harvested in October from plants at least six years old and dried for later use. A homeopathic remedy prepared from the dried root is used especially for diarrhoea in teething children.

Other Uses

Plants can be grown as ground cover when spaced approximately 1.8 metres apart in each direction.

Rheum rhaponticum, the false rhubarb, rhapontic rhubarb or rhapontic, is a plant species in the genus Rheum found in the wild. It is the only Rheum species found only in Europe, and is now restricted to the Rila mountain range in south-western Bulgaria. It was introduced to other countries in Europe. It is considered to be one of the parents of the modern culinary rhubarb.

Other Information

It is cultivated.

More from Polygonaceae

Aconogonon phytolaccifolium

Poke knotweed

Antigonon leptopus

Coral creeper, Love vine

Atraphaxis manshurica

Bodurgan chai

Atraphaxis spinosa

Shir-khecht shrub

Calligonum aphyllum - (Pall.)Gürke.

Calligonum comosum

Abal