Rhubarb is a plant name for the many different species of Rheum, growing in the wild in the mountains of the Western and North-western provinces of China and in the adjoining Tibetan territory and in cultivation in much of Europe and the United States. From Webster's dictionary - rhu-barb, Pronunciation: \?rü-?bärb\, noun, from Middle English rubarbe, from Middle French reubarbe, from Medieval Latin reubarbarum, alteration of rha barbarum, literally, barbarian rhubarb, 15th century.

Rhubarb is a popular perennial garden vegetable in many areas of the world where it is grown for its tasty leaf stalks (petioles), as an ornamental plant, and as an herbal medicine. Rhubarb has large, heart-shaped, leaves making it both a large and distinctive pant in your garden.

Rhubarb, Rheum x coltorum is available in many cultivars (named hybrid varieties). One important characteristic of the different cultivars is the stalk color which can range from red to green. In between colors are often called pink or speckled.

A deep red petiole is the more popular among consumers, but these plants are often accompanied by poor growth and yield. Green varieties are often much more productive. Consumers also often assume the red stemmed rhubarb is sweeter than other colors but color and sweetness are not necessarily related. The Victoria variety, which is probably the greenest variety, can produce some very sweet stems.