rhubarb
A long-lived perennial herb (Rheum rhaponticum), related to dock, and native to Siberia; basal leaves large, heart-shaped, wavy, with green or red stalks; leaves can be poisonous; flowers small, white, 6-petalled, in large spreading inflorescence. A number of hybrids and cultivars are grown for the edible leaf-stalks. During the first Opium War, the Chinese believed the interruption of Chinese rhubarb exports would incapacitate British soldiers because of constipation; the ploy failed. (Family: Polygonaceae.)
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About 60, including: R. Varieties of rhubarb have a long history as medicinal plants in traditional Chinese medicine, but the use of rhubarb as food is a relatively recent innovation, first recorded in 17th century England, after affordable sugar became available to common people.Rhubarb is now grown in many areas, primarily for its fleshy petioles, commonly known as rhubarb sticks. In former days, a common and affordable sweet for children in parts of the United Kingdom was a tender stick of rhubarb, dipped in sugar. In the UK the first rhubarb of the year is grown by candlelight in dark sheds dotted around the noted "Rhubarb Triangle" of Wakefield, Leeds and Morley. In warm climates, rhubarb will grow all year round, but in colder climates the parts of the plant above the ground disappear completely during winter, and begin to grow again from the root in early spring. Those most commonly used in cooking are the Garden Rhubarb (R. rhaponticum, which, though a true rhubarb, bears the common name False Rhubarb. Rhubarb is used as a strong laxative and for its astringent effect on the mucous membranes of the mouth and the nasal cavity. Toxic effectsRhubarb leaves contain poisonous substances. Rhubarb leaf poisoning is most often caused by oxalic acid, a corrosive and nephrotoxic acid that is abundantly present in many plants. Other uses of the wordIt is or was common for a crowd of extras in acting to shout the word "rhubarb" repeatedly and out of step with each other, to cause the effect of general hubbub. In the 1989 film Batman, The Joker (Jack Nicholson) tells Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton) to "never rub another man's rhubarb". TriviaRhubarb is sometimes considered a vegetable (based on its appearance and being a close relative of Sorrel) and sometimes considered a (culinary) fruit (based on how it is eaten). "Donkey Rhubarb" is used as a term when referring to the drug-oriented uses of cannabis. Rhubarb, specifically in the form of the ficitious product "Be-Bob-A-Re-Bob Rhubarb Pie", is frequently mentioned in 'A Prarie Home Companion'. |
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