Introduction

Abstract

This book continues as volume twelve of a multi-compendium on Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants. It covers such plants with edible modified storage subterranean stems (corms, rhizomes, stem tubers) and unmodifed subterranean stem stolons, above-ground swollen stems and hypocotyls, storage roots (tap root, lateral roots, root tubers) and bulbs that are eaten as conventional or functional food as vegetables and spices, as herbal teas, and may provide a source of food additive or neutraceuticals. A list of such edible plant species from families Acanthaceae to Zygophyllaceae are presented in a tabular form and 32 such edible species from the families Alismataceae, Amaryllidaceae, Apiaceae, Araceae, Araliaceae, Asparagaceae, Asteraceae, Basellaceae, Brassicaceae and Campanulaceae had been covered in detail in preceding volume nine. Twenty edible species from the families Amaranthaceae, Cannaceae, Cibotiaceae, Convolvulaceae, Cyperaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Fabaceae had been covered in detail in volume ten and eighteen edible species in the families Iridaceae, Lamiaceae, Marantaceae, Nelumbonaceae, Nyctaginaceae, Nymphaeaceae, Orchidaceae, Oxalidaceae, Piperaceae, Poaceae, Rubiaceae and Simaroubaceae in volume eleven. This present volume twelve covers in detail 21 edible species from the families Solanaceae (1), Tropaeolaceae (1), Typhaceae (2) and Zingiberaceae (17). Other species from these families with edible modified stems, roots and bulbs are listed in Table 1. Many plants with such edible plant parts that are better known for their edible fruits or flowers have been covered in earlier volumes and for those better known for other non-reproductive plant parts will be covered in latter volumes.