Rheum x hybridum Murray

A clumpy plant with broad leaves. They grow to 1.2 m high. It has long leaf stalks which are mostly red in colour. The leaf stalks have a channel on the upper surface. The leaves are large and heart shaped at the base. They have a wavy edge. The roots are thick and clustered. They are woody and underground forming a crown. The stems arise individually from this. The flowers grow in tall dense leafy panicles which branch close to the stem. They can be cream, white or yellow. They can be 3 m high.

It is a temperate plant. It grows between 750 and 2600 m altitude in the tropics. It needs a fertile soil. It needs a sunny location. It suits hardiness zones 6-10.

The sour leaf stalks are eaten after cooking with sugar. They are also used in sauces and pies. CAUTION The leaves are poisonous due to oxalates.

Plants are grown by division of the rootstock. Plants can be grown from seed. Seedlings are not easy to transplant. So seed should be sown shallowly and plants thinned to 15-100 cm apart. Flowers should be removed to encourage leaf stalk growth. Leaf stalks can be forced by covering the plant with a container and keeping it warm and dark. Stalks grow more rapidly but the plant is weakened quickly.