Introduction

Abstract

This book continues as volume nine 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 unmodified subterranean stem stolons, above-ground swollen stems and hypocotyls, storage roots (taproot, 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 nutraceuticals. A list of such edible plant species from families Acanthaceae to Zygophyllaceae are presented in a tabular form (Table 1) and 32 such edible species from the families Alismataceae, Amaryllidaceae, Apiaceae, Araceae, Araliaceae, Asparagaceae, Asteraceae, Basellaceae, Brassicaceae and Campanulaceae are covered in detail in separate chapters. Other such edible species in the families: Amaranthaceae, Cannaceae, Cibotiaceae, Convolvulaceae, Cyperaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Iridaceae, Lamiaceae, Marantaceae, Nelumbonaceae, Nyctaginaceae, Nymphaeaceae, Onagraceae, Orchidaceae, Oxalidaceae, Piperaceae, Poaceae, Rubiaceae, Simaroubaceae, Solanaceae, Tropaeolaceae, Typhaceae and Zingiberaceae will be covered in detail in the next volume. 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 nonreproductive plant parts will be covered in latter volumes.