How to Identify Turkey Rhubarb

Common Garden Rhubarb, shown here, has larger leaves but is shorter than Turkey Rhubarb.

Turkey rhubarb, also known as East Indian Rhubarb and Chinese Rhubarb, often grows taller than common Garden Rhubarb and has unique leaves. Turkey Rhubarb thick stem similar to common rhubarb varieties, but its leaves are small and unique.

Stem and Height

Turkey Rhubarb grows taller than other types of rhubarb, reaching between six and ten feet high, according to Botanical.com. The stem is thick with purple coloring similar to other types of rhubarb. Turkey Rhubarb has an opportunist attitude towards other plants, preferring disturbed areas and climbing high above its competitors, according to the weed eradicators with the Lane Love Council, a community environmental group in Australia.

Leaves

Turkey Rhubarb has pointy, arrow-head shaped leaves. The leaves are "palmate," according to Botanical.com. Palmate is a botanical term used to describe leaves with three or more veins radiating out from a central or common point, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

Flowers

Turkey Rhubarb flowers begin as yellow buds in the spring, according to Motherearthherbs.com. The flowers are small and greenish-white in color when blooming.

References

• Mother Earth Herbs: Rheum palmatum
• Acetosa Sagittata:Turkey Rhubarb
• Botanical.com: Rhubarb, Turkey