Vegetables
David S. Seigler
Department of Plant Biology
University of Illinois
Urbana, Illinois 61801 USA
seigler@life.illinois.edu
http://www.life.illinois.edu/seigler
Outline: VEGETABLES
Importance
Botanical (not fruits)
o leaves
o stems
o roots
o buds
o bulbs (leaves)
Domestication
o mostly Near Eastern Center and
Chinese Center
o lower toxicity
o less fiber
o larger plant parts
o more color
o many Brassica species
Properties
o nutritional
o water
o minerals
o vitamins
o fiber
Preservation
Major cultivars
o Brassica and Brassicaceae
Structure and function of stems and
leaves.
Reading
• CHAPTER 7 IN THE TEXT
Vegetable market in Bangkok, Thailand
Courtesy Dr. Ted Hymowitz
Market in Sudan
Courtesy Dr. Dorothea Bedigian
Shop window in Darmstadt, Germany
Wholesale vegetable
distribution and
marketing
College of Agriculture, University of Illinois
Introduction
• Stems provide support for the above ground
parts of the plant.
• Stems house the conduction system.
• Leaves are the usual site of photosynthesis in
the plant. Stems are sometimes
photosynthetic.
• Many different kinds of stems: Those of
monocotyledonous plants are quite different
from those of dicotyledonous plants.
• Figure p. 156 ff.
Roots
• Normally underground, but some are above
ground. Some grow under water and others in air.
• Roots don't have leaf scars and axillary buds.
Differ in many aspects of anatomy and physiology.
• Roots don't do photosynthesis (normally).
• Roots have root hairs to absorb water and take up
nutrients. They have apical meristems, but the
pattern of growth is different from that in stems.
• Diagram pg. 160, 161.
More on roots
• Vascular stele in center and surrounded by a
pericycle. Outside the pericycle is the
endodermis. Outside of the endodermis is the
cortex. These cells often accumulate starch in
their vacuoles. Then comes the epidermis.
• In practice, roots vary a lot in appearance
although they have the basic structures
described above.
• Pg. 160.
• Table of leafy, root, tuber, rhizome, or bulbous
crops on pg. 163.
• These foods are not major in many cultures but
important in many.
• They add variety, minerals, vitamins, and fiber to
the diet.
• These foods are usually low in starch, lipids,
protein, and sugars.
• Many plant parts are eaten.
Edible Stems and Leaves
• Thousands of plants have been eaten in in
many different cultures.
• In the last few decades, several have
achieved widespread significance, although
minor cultivars are still widely grown in many
parts of the world.
• Many locally cultivated species are utilized.
• Table of production pp. 164-165. Important
cultivated species pp. 166.
The brassicas
• In most of temperate parts of the world,
the major group of cultivated leafy
vegetables consists of members of the
genus Brassica (Brassicaceae or
Cruciferae).
• The seeds and roots of many of this
group of plants are also utilized.
• These plants all contain mustard oil
glycosides or glucosinolates.
• Many belong to a single species:
Brassica oleracea.
• No good fossil evidence, but cultivated
for at least 2500 years in S.E. Europe.
• Forage kales (European black cabbage)
are probably the forms that most closely
resemble the original cultivars.
Cabbage
• Common cabbage includes both red and
green forms.
• Head cabbage appeared about 2000 years
ago.
• Modern headed cabbage originated about
1000 A.D. in Germany.
• Often used to make sauerkraut. Goes back in
Orient for long time. Later introduced into
Europe.
• Most members of this group very cold
tolerant.
• Some cultivated cabbage relatives on pg.
168.
Cabbage, Brassica
oleracea, Brassicaceae
• Brussel's sprouts. Look like miniature
cabbages.
• Selected from a mutant that appeared
about 1750.
• Kohlrabi. Exact origin not known.
Brussels sprouts,
Brassica oleracea,
Brassicaceae
Cauliflower and Broccoli
• Cauliflower known by Arabs in 12th century.
• Broccoli by at least 16th century in Europe.
• Both are derived from the immature
inflorescences.
• In cauliflower most of the flowers are abortive.
Cauliflower, Brassica oleracea, Brassicaceae
Broccoli, Brassica
oleracea,
Brassicaceae
Others
• Turnips, mustards, collards etc. all eaten as
"greens” The young leaves are cooked and eaten
directly.
• Turnips (Brassica rapa) and rutabagas (B. napus)
are also Brassica species. An ancient crop.
• Turnips appear in Indian writings of 2000 B.C. In
Europe only about 12th century.
• Turnips were often eaten in Europe in the winter as
that was about all that was available.
Radishes
• Radishes (Raphanus sativus) also from the
Brassicaceae.
• In the U.S., they are eaten as a garnish, but
in other places, e.g., the Orient, they actually
are important food items. Very important in
Japan. Large white radishes are called
daikon.
• They appeared about 4000 years ago in
Egypt.
• The ancestor of radishes not known with
certainty.
Radish, Raphanus sativus,
Brassicaceae, and turnip,
Brassica rapa
The Complete Book of Fruits &
Vegetables, F. Bianchini, F. Corbetta,
M. Pistola, Crown Publishers, New
York, 1973
Wild radishes
These feral plants are
common weeds in many
parts of the world. They
are descendants of
cultivated radishes that
were early introduced
into the Americas.
Lettuce, Lactuca sativa
• Lettuce, chicory, and endive all belong to the
Asteraceae (or Compositae). This is a large family
with over 35,000 species. Sunflowers in this family
also. Few composites (members of the sunflower
family) are eaten by man.
Lettuce, Lactuca sativa
• Lettuce is an ancient species. Cultivated at
least by 4500 B.C. in Egypt. Bitter tasting and
was probably first domesticated as a medicinal
plant. The Romans ate tossed salads with leafy
lettuces. The wild ancestors are not known with
certainty although Lactuca serriola is a
possibility.
• Many different cultivars have been selected.
Lettuce, Lactuca sativa,
Asteraceae
Lactuca serriola, a
probable wild
ancestor of lettuce
Carrots and their relatives
• The Apiaceae (or Umbelliferae) contains
many plants used as vegetables. Among
these are carrots, celery, parsley, parsley
root, fennel, and parsnip.
• In the case of celery (Apium graveolens), we
use the swollen bases of the petioles.
• Celery has been cultivated since Greek and
Roman times.
• Celery root is popular in Europe, but available
here also.
Celery and celery
root, Apium
graveolens,
Apiaceae
The Complete Book of Fruits &
Vegetables, F. Bianchini, F. Corbetta,
M. Pistola, Crown Publishers, New
York, 1973
Celery field in California
• Carrots (Daucus carota) and parsnips
(Pastinaca sativa) are root crops of some
importance.
• Carrot cultivars were originally purple and
later yellow. Orange forms were selected
later.
• Carrots probably were also domesticated for
medicinal purposes. They contain carotene, a
precursor for vitamin A.
• Parsnips similar except pale color instead of
orange. They are sweeter tasting.
Carrots, Daucus carota,
Apiaceae
The Complete Book of Fruits &
Vegetables, F. Bianchini, F. Corbetta,
M. Pistola, Crown Publishers, New
York, 1973
Queen Anne’s Lace,
Daucus carota, Apiaceae
a feral form of carrots
Parsnip, Pastinaca
sativa, Apiaceae
• Parsley (Petroselinum sativum) is usually
eaten fresh or as a garnish in the U.S.
• Cilantro or culantro (Coriandrum sativum) is
eaten in a similar manner.
• Both are commonly is a major cooked
vegetable in many Near Eastern and Latin
American cultures.
Beets, Beta vulgaris, and their relatives
• Beets are members of the family
Chenopodiaceae.
• The older types are usually called mangel or
wurzel.
• Swiss chard is a cultivar of the petioles of the
leaves.
• Sugar beets are forms that have been
selected for higher sugar concentration.
Beets, Beta vulgaris,
Chenopodiaceae
Spinach, Spinacia oleracea, Chenopodiaceae
female (left) and male (right)
Primitive form of
spinach
Perennial Green Vegetables
• The artichoke (Cynara scolymus) is a
member of the Asteraceae. The
immature receptacles of the flowers and
the bracts around them are eaten. See
figure on page 176.
• Popular in the Mediterranean area
where they are native.
The Complete Book of Fruits &
Vegetables, F. Bianchini, F. Corbetta,
M. Pistola, Crown Publishers, New
York, 1973
Artichokes, Cynara
scolymus, Asteraceae
• Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) is in the lily
family (Liliaceae). Also native to the
Mediterranean area and North Africa. The
young sprouts are eaten. See diagram on
page 177.
• Bamboo shoots (many species) are
commonly eaten in the Orient.
Asparagus, Asparagus
officinale, Liliaceae,
in Westfalen, Germany
Harvesting bamboo shoots
National Geographic
Vegetables from bulbs
• Onions, leeks, garlic, and shallots are all in
the genus Allium of the Liliceae. All of these
have been cultivated for thousands of years.
Many species are wild harvested in many
parts of the world.
• Onions (Allium cepa) and garlic (A. sativum)
probably originated in central Asia and leeks
(A. ampeloprasum) in the Near Eastern
center. All were cultivated in Egypt by 3200
B.C.
• Chives (A. schoenoprasum) are eaten for the
leaves alone. See the diagrams on page 179
in the text).
Allium cepa, onion,
Liliaceae
Onions, Allium
cepa, Liliaceae
The Complete Book of Fruits &
Vegetables, F. Bianchini, F. Corbetta,
M. Pistola, Crown Publishers, New
York, 1973
Garlic, Allium sativum,
Liliaceae, and shallots,
Allium cepa
The Complete Book of Fruits &
Vegetables, F. Bianchini, F. Corbetta,
M. Pistola, Crown Publishers, New
York, 1973
Quamash root, Camassia scilloides, Liliaceae
Isolating palm hearts in Brazil
Courtesy Axel Walther