Top Crops
Over 1000 species of plants bear leaves that are eaten, to some extent by humans. Of these, 16 we've chosen as "our favorites" and 50 others as "honorable mention." Our favorites are plants that we feel have, by virtue of their botany and their history, shown great potential for providing food for humans in a sustainable way. No doubt some worthy plants were omitted and not everyone will agree with the choices made.
We've tried to present a little information on each crop chosen and where possible to offer a photograph or drawing to help people identify the plant. The information presented and the images were drawn from many different sources. Our deep thanks to the following folks and to the many unnamed others, whose images and information contributed to this effort:
- Cornucopia II: A Source Book of Edible Plants; by Stephen Facciola
- Edible Leaves of the Tropics 3rd Ed. By Franklin Martin, Ruth Ruberte, and Laura Meitzner
- World Vegetables: Principles, Production, and Nutritive Values; Second Ed. by Vincent E. Rubatzky and Mas Yamaguchi
- James A. Duke
- The Singapore Science Museum
16 |
50 |
983 |
Perennial leafy vegetables
A new study shows their nutritional and environmental potential. (19-page PDF; approx 1.2 mb)
Perennial vegetables: A neglected resource for biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and nutrition
Eric Toensmeier, Rafter FergusonI, Mamta Mehra