14 Types Of Rhubarb And What Makes Them Unique

Rhubarb is a popular spring vegetable. The eye-catching, colorful stalks are the most edible parts of the plant. The root was predominantly used for centuries as a medicinal herb in places such as China and Greece to treat intestinal issues, swelling, fever, and more. In fact, rhubarb is still used today for its medicinal properties. The leaves are toxic, and eating them can lead to kidney problems among other ailments, so it's best to steer clear of them. You can read our guide on baking with rhubarb for more information about eating it safely.

Despite being a favorite ingredient in baked goods in the United States, such as pies and crumbles, rhubarb stalks are on the sour side. This is why rhubarb is often mixed with a lot of sugar or paired with sweeter fruits like strawberries. Fans of sour food, however, might enjoy munching on the raw stalks of rhubarb. 

There are countless different varieties of rhubarb and each differs in terms of taste, color, size, and so on. If you're looking to cook with rhubarb, there are a few different popular types of this plant that are worth paying particular attention to. 

The Holstein Blood, sometimes also known as the Holsteiner Blut (blut is German for blood) is another famously red rhubarb variety. True to its name, the stalks are a strikingly deep red color, which is caused by a high level of anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are naturally occurring antioxidants; according to studies, they have a positive effect on high blood pressure in patients with hypertension.

Due to the juiciness and sweetness of the Holstein Blood Red, it is well suited for baking into desserts such as strawberry rhubarb pie as well as sherbert. The Holstein Blood Red is also used for flavoring beverages. Its USDA plant hardiness zones are 7 to 9 annually and 3 to 6 perennially. The leaves have are wrinkles and shiny. Between the leaves and the blood-red stalks, the Holsteiner Blut makes for a beautiful ornamental plant and can be used for decoration as well as consumption. 

The thick, sweet, and juicy red stalks of the German Wine rhubarb variety make it an excellent choice for canning, using in pies, making jam, as well as wine. A wine that is made from something other than grapes is called a country wine. Making a country wine is similar to making conventional wine from grapes, but there are a few key differences. Grapes are already high in sugar and tannins by nature. For this reason, when making wine from other fruits (or in this case a vegetable), tannins need to be added to the juice for it to achieve the ideal characteristics. 

The sugar is for the wine yeast to feast on and turn into alcohol. Tannins are what make your lips pucker, however slightly, when drinking wine. So, if you're looking to turn your rhubarb into wine, the German Wine rhubarb variety was literally made for this precise endeavor. Its USDA plant hardiness zones are 3 to 8.

A recently cultivated rhubarb variety with a cute name is the KangaRhu by the Indiana-based Gurney's Seed and Nursery Company. They started with seeds from a heat-tolerant Australian plant, hence the clever name. In 2020, the KangaRhu won a Direct Gardening Association Green Thumb Award.

Most varieties of rhubarb start to produce flowers (known as bolting) when the heat of summer hits. Gurney's wanted to produce a varietal that would resist the lure of going to seed, making it possible to continue harvesting into the summertime. They succeeded, and that's part of what sets the KangaRhu apart from its fellow rhubarbs.

The stalk of the KangaRhu is an impressively deep red that contrasts starkly with its green leaves. The color stays vibrant after cooking. Its USDA plant hardiness zones are an expansive 4 to 8. It's a versatile rhubarb good in baked goods, pureed or made into compotes, or sliced into green salads.

Crimson Cherry rhubarb has a beautiful, thick ruby-red stalk that fades to green at the leaves. It can grow up to four feet tall, which really shows off that color. It is a hardy, low maintenance, cold-resistant variety with USDA plant hardiness zones 3 to 7, though it performs best in the colder regions. For example, it is one of the most popular rhubarb types grown in Alaska.

Mature Crimson Cherry stalks can usually be harvested in the later spring to early summer, offering plenty of crop to use. The texture of the stalks is tender, and the flavor is sweet. This makes the Crimson Cherry great to eat raw, sliced into a green salad, made into baked goods, canned, or sauced. It's a solid, all-around variety that is versatile in cooking and attractive in the home garden, which sets it apart from many of its more specialized peers.

Glaskins Perpetual is another frost hardy, low-acid rhubarb variety that first appeared in England in the 1920s. The low acid level makes the plant capable of being harvested as late as July and is the source of the name "perpetual." It has a broad USDA plant hardiness, from 3 to 8, but performs best in cooler regions. It's a small plant with both a height and spread max of two feet. The flowers, though, if allowed to progress, can reach up to six feet tall.

Another thing that makes this rhubarb unique is that it can be grown from seed. It is more common to divide an already established plant and transplant it to a new location. Some plant nurseries and online sources also sell roots.

The long, succulent red stalks are great in jams, pies, and wine. The lower acidity makes the flavor less bitter than other rhubarbs, though still tart.

With its brightly colored stalks and large, eye-catching green leaves, it's no wonder that people use rhubarb as an ornamental plant in landscaping and in pots on porches and patios. What is most commonly called Chinese Rhubarb, specifically rheum palmatum, is just such an ornamental specialty. (Another name you will often see for rheum palmatum is Turkey Rhubarb. The botanical name is the key for correctly identifying this rhubarb.)

It originated in China, as its name suggests. For countless centuries, the root has been dried, ground to a powder, and used in traditional Chinese medicine (via The Herbal Resource). In its natural habitat, Chinese Rhubarb grows wild and is sometimes seen as a weed.

With a USDA plant hardiness of zones 6 to 9, Chinese Rhubarb thrives in wet soil. It can grow over eight feet tall with leaves two and a half feet across. Like other rhubarbs, this one flowers in the summer with large panicles and petals of white to pink.

Another popular ornamental rhubarb is the Giant Rhubarb (which is different from the Riverside Giant mentioned above). It has long, spiky green stalks and large frilly leaves, making it a lovely and impressive addition to any garden.

All right, technically speaking, Giant Rhubarb isn't a rhubarb at all. It is of the Gunneraceae family, not the Polygonaceae family to which rhubarb (rheum) belongs. It came to be called Giant Rhubarb because, frankly, it looks like rhubarb — giant rhubarb. Stalks can grow to ten feet and leaves are up to six feet across. It is one of the largest perennials that can still fit into a home garden. Originally from southern Brazil, its USDA plant hardiness level is 8.

Unlike actual rhubarb (rheum), Giant Rhubarb is not poisonous, though its bitter flavor makes it nearly inedible. It does, however, like its doppelganger, have some medicinal properties. Studies have found Giant Rhubarb extract to be antimicrobial.