Rheum webbianum

Royle

Himalayan rhubarb

Polygonaceae Edible: Flower stalks, Leaves, Leaf stalks 6 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Rheum webbianum is a species of herbaceous perennial rhubarb-relative in the family Polygonaceae from the southwestern Himalayan region, known in (Indian) English as Indian rhubarb, Gilgiti rhubarb or small Himalayan rhubarb.

Description

A stout succulent herb. It grows 0.3-2 m tall. The leaves come from the base. The leaf stalks are 30-45 cm long. The leaf blade is leathery and round to kidney shaped. They are 10-50 cm across. The flowers are pale yellow or dark red.

Edible Uses

Like Rheum australe, the roots of this species are harvested from the wild to make the drug Indian rhubarb; this was formerly an important drug in Western medicine, and is still used in Unani medicine. In Pakistan locals eat the leaf stalk cooked as in the West. The root is used as a purgative. In the Chitral valley the stems of the unripe inflorescence and leaf stalks are also eaten raw for the taste. Poor children collect the plant from the wild to sell in the market for money.

Traditional Uses

The young shoots, flower spikes and leaves are cooked as a vegetable. The leaf stalks are eaten raw or cooked. They are used like rhubarb. They are also used in chutney.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. They grow between 3000-4000 m altitude in Uttar Pradesh in India. In western China it grows between 3,500-3.600 m above sea level.

Where It Grows

Asia, China, Himalayas, India, Nepal, Pakistan,

Also Known As

Archu, Cheeming, Chu-rtsa, Dolu, Lachu, Padamchal

References (10)

Ambasta S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 520
Ballabh, B., et al, 2007, Raw edible plants of cold desert Ladakh. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. 6(1) pp 182-184
Dobriyal, M. J. R. & Dobriyal, R., 2014, Non Wood Forest Produce an Option for Ethnic Food and Nutritional Security in India. Int. J. of Usuf. Mngt. 15(1):17-37
Flora of China @ efloras.org Volume 5
Flora of Pakistan. www.eFloras.org

Show all 10 references

Ill. bot. Himal. Mts. 1:318. 1836; 2: t. 99. 1839
Misra, S. et al, 2008, Wild leafy vegetables: A study of their subsistence dietetic support to the inhabitants of Nanda Devi Biosphere reserve, India. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 4:15
Negi, K.S., 1988, Some little known wild edible plants of U.P. Hills. J. Econ. Tax. Bot. Vol. 12 No. 2 pp 345-360
Reis, S. V. and Lipp, F. L., 1982, New Plant Sources for Drugs and Foods from the New York Botanical Garden herbarium. Harvard. p 53
Sharma, L. et al, 2018, Diversity, distribution pattern, endemism and indigenous uses of wild edible plants in Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve of Indian Trans Himalaya. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. Vol 17(1) January 2018 pp 122-131