Rheum palmatum seed

LATIN NAME: Rheum palmatum

COMMON NAME: Ornamental Rhubarb

The ornamental rhubarb raises its large, palm-shaped, deeply lobed leaves and the tall, dense spikes of the small, reddish flowers, and the whole plant stands in the bold, architectural clumps. The large, bold, herbaceous perennial carries the large, palm-shaped, deeply lobed, wavy-margined, dark-green leaves with the long, thick stalks and the tall, dense, upright panicles of the many small, creamy-white to reddish flowers through the early summer, one of the fine, bold sights of the border, drawing the bees, to be followed by the small, three-angled, brown fruits. The thick roots have a very long record in the old practice of the cool lands, and the plant is a fine, historic presence of the border. It is a plant of the open, sunny, deep, moist, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The ornamental rhubarb is a historic subject of the plant science, and the tall panicles keep showing up in the work on the bold perennials. The chemistry of the thick roots, which carry the fine, coloured compounds of the old practice, has been studied at length, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the bold perennials, the palm-shaped leaves and the members of the knotweed family. The deeply lobed leaves and the bold habit have also made it a fine study plant, and the ornamental rhubarb is a regular subject of the work on the tall panicles of the cool world.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The ornamental rhubarb is a fine, bold plant of the border and the study collection. The tall, dense, upright panicles of the many small, creamy-white to reddish flowers open through the early summer, one of the fine, bold sights of the border, drawing the bees, and the large, palm-shaped, deeply lobed, wavy-margined, dark-green leaves carry the fine, architectural look of the old gardens, while the thick roots have a very long record in the old practice of the cool lands. It is one of the fine choices for the border, the waterside and the study collection, and it has been written up in the horticultural and the scientific papers for the bold leaves and the very long record. It is a fine, bold plant of the open, sunny, deep, moist, well-drained garden.

Give the young plants the deep, moist bed, and the bold panicles will rise in the summers to come.

To grow the ornamental rhubarb from seed, sow the large, brown, three-angled seeds a centimetre down in the deep tray of rich, gritty soil, keep the pot in a bright, open spot and water gently, then set the young plants out in the open ground. The seedlings thread up within a few weeks and grow on steadily. With the sun and the deep, moist, well-drained ground, the bold panicles will rise in the summers to come.

Rheum palmatum, commonly called Chinese Rhubarb, Ornamental Rhubarb, Turkish Rhubarb, Turkey Rhubarb, Indian Rhubarb, Russian Rhubarb or Rhubarb Root (and within Chinese herbal medicine Da-huang). While most garden species only grow to a mere few feet in height, Turkey rhubarb can produce as high as a “six to ten foot jointed stalk,” with loosely branched clusters of flowers along the tips that mature red in color from their often yellow or white blooms. Its leaves are rather large, jagged and hand – shaped, growing in width of at least two to three feet. It is important to recognize that only those species of Rheum with lobed leaves are accredited for their medicinal use.*