Leaf vegetables, also called leafy greens, pot herbs, vegetable greens, or simply greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots. Leaf vegetables eaten raw in a salad can be called salad greens.
Spinach leaves in a colander
A bundle of curly-leaf kale
Large pot of collard greens being prepared on a US Navy ship
Liponda greens to be cooked and accompany ugali in east Africa
Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems, leaves, roots, and seeds. An alternative definition of the term is applied somewhat arbitrarily, often by culinary and cultural tradition. It may exclude foods derived from some plants that are fruits, flowers, nuts, and cereal grains, but include savoury fruits such as tomatoes and courgettes, flowers such as broccoli, and seeds such as pulses.
Vegetables in a market in the Philippines
An arrangement of fruits commonly thought of as culinary vegetables, including corn (maize), tomatoes, and various squash
Image: Filoma Kohl vor der Ernte
Image: Turnip 2622027