How to Care Rhubarbs

Chinese rhubarb exhibits large, triangular leaves and thick, fleshy rhizomes. Its tall flowering stalks capped with small greenish-white flowers are distinct in summer. Adapted to cooler climates, chinese rhubarb thrives in well-drained soils with partial shade, where it can reach impressive heights, signaling its robust medicinal history.

Chinese rhubarb is a species of flowering knotweed that is closely related to rhubarb. However, this herbaceous perennial grows taller. It is frequently used as an ornamental plant in gardens. Despite its use in traditional Chinese medicine, its leaves are poisonous and should be handled with care.

Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) is a hardy perennial that will grow from 61 to 122 cm tall. Heart-shape leaves with thick, succulent red or green leafstalks grow up to 46 cm long. Foliage dies back each winter. Flower stalks with hundreds of small white flowers bloom in summer and are yellow or pinkish green. Fruits with seeds ripen in fall.

False rhubarb (Rheum rhaponticum) is a plant species native to the Rila mountains of Bulgaria. This plant only grows in this one location. The false rhubarb was the first rhubarb plant discovered by Europeans. It is considered the ancestor of modern rhubarb.

Nobody will ever have any trouble spotting sikkim rhubarb because of its bizarre appearance. This high-altitude species can be spotted from great distances by its translucent coating of whitish leaf bracts. These bracts block radiation and capture light for heat, a bit like a greenhouse.

Alexander’s rhubarb is a perennial herb known for its large, broad leaves that form a basal rosette. These thick, fleshy leaves, often with prominent veins, unfurl to reveal tall flowering stalks topped with clusters of small, greenish-white flowers. Adapted to high-altitude environments, alexander’s rhubarb flourishes in the cool, moist conditions of its mountainous habitats, its leaves sometimes serving as a water catchment for the plant.

Species of pteroxygonum are twining vines growing from a large woody globe-shaped tuber. Their leaves are broad and palmate with a dark red mark around each primary leaf vein. The inflorescence is in the form of an axillary raceme. The flowers are bisexual with five spirally arranged tepals eight stamens joined at the base and three styles also joined up to about the middle. Their fruits are in the form of winged three-angled achenes. As of spring 2019 two species are recognized. Their native range is from Tibet to southeast China.

The reynoutria form a very small genus of large, flowering plants in the buckwheat (sometimes called knotweed) family. A few species within this genus are utilized by beekeepers for their pollen production. The genus on the whole, however, is more famous for hosting several invasives, most notable among these being Japanese Knotweed (R. japonica). Japanese Knotweed, now found in temperate regions around the world, is considered one of the most aggressive and harmful invasive plant species on the planet.

Species of bistorta are perennial herbaceous plants. Their roots are fibrous forming rhizomes. They have erect unbranched stems. Their leaves are usually longer than wide mostly basal but with some arranged alternately on the stems. The inflorescences are spikelike. The individual flowers have five white to purple-pink (rarely red) tepals. The flowers are bisexual although the 5–8 stamens are sometimes poorly developed. There are three styles. The fruits are in the form of achenes that are brown or dark brown unwinged and three-angled. As of winter 2019 about 42 species are accepted. Bistorta species are native throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere as far south as Mexico in North America and Thailand in Asia.

Woodland threadstem is genus containing only a single species. Woodland threadstem is a very small annual spreading or climbing plant with very thin, hairy stems. The tiny leaves are lobed or heart-shaped and may be green or pink. The plant may sprawl across the ground in a thin layer or may form small patches here and there. The plant bears tiny bright pink flowers. The plant is native to the United States and Northwestern Mexico.