Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) — Plotwright

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Rhubarb

Habit (mature) · 4028mdk09 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

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Rhubarb

Rheum rhabarbarum

A long-lived clump-forming perennial vegetable grown for its thick, tart leaf stalks (petioles), which range from deep red to pink to green and are used in sauces, jams, and pies. Bold, heart-shaped dark green leaves rise 2-3 feet over a wide crown, and tall whitish flower panicles appear from late spring into summer. The leaf blades are NOT edible — they carry toxic levels of oxalic acid — only the stalks are eaten.

Review: Source-backed

Climate fit: moderate (46/100)

Edible

Structure

Focal point

Light

Full sun / Part shade

Water

Moderate water

Mature size

24-36" tall · 42" apart

Hardy in zones

3a-8b

brutally cold to frosty winters

Summer heat range

Cool-Mild

cool to mild summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.

Native in Illinois

No

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Cold hardiness

Now

Zone 6b

USDA

Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer

Well-suited

2050

Zone 7b

Plotwright

Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)

Well-suited

In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.

✓

Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.

Heat tolerance

°C

°F

Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…

Where this plant fits

Suitable across 40 ecoregions — 35 climate-resilient through 2070 · 5 suited today. Best matches first.

Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests

Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests

Arizona Mountains forests

Blue Mountains forests

Canadian Aspen forests and parklands

Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests

Central Tallgrass prairie

Central-Southern Cascades Forests

Colorado Rockies forests

Cross-Timbers savanna-woodland

Sources & citations

Cite this page

For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.

Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum). Retrieved 2026, June 5, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/rhubarb

Sources for every fact

Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited — 18 source-backed.

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder

Botanical research database

Backs 17 fields

Identity

Summary

Plant type

Light

Moisture

Hardiness

Heat zone

Size

Spacing

Habit

Design roles

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Regional guidance

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Wikimedia Commons

Photo · CC BY-SA 3.0

Backs 1 field

Image

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