Quick Characteristics:
| Height: | 120-150 cm (3.9-4.9 ft) |
| Flower Colors: | white |
| Flower Season: | early summer |
| Usage: | edible leaves, medicinal use rhizome |
| Life form: | rhizome |
Rheum × hybridum is the common culinary garden rhubarb, as cultivated in cold to temperate climates around the world. It is a herbaceous perennial that grows from short, thick rhizomes. Its main ancestors are likely Rheum rhabarbarum L. and Rheum rhaponticum L., which hybridize easily. Rhubarb needs plenty of water when in growth and can deal with shade or sun, though sun encourages flowering which does use up a lot of the plants resources. Commercial plantings are said to be productive for about six years, after that the yields start to decline. In parts of the UK there is a tradition of forcing rhubarb in sheds or under clay pots, generating early, tender stalks.
Rhubarb cultivars include green and red stemmed varieties. In January 2020, rhubarb cultivars for warmer climates and/or cropping in summer and fall were a prominent topic on the PBS List. Photos were taken by Martin Bohnet.
