radish

radish, (Raphanus sativus), annual or biennial plant in the mustard family (Brassicaceae), grown for its large succulent taproot. The common radish is likely of Asian or Mediterranean origin and is cultivated worldwide. Radish roots are low in calories and are usually eaten raw; the young leaves can be cooked like spinach. The young fruits are also edible and are often eaten raw or sautéed. The small quick-growing spring varieties have a mild, crisp, moderately firm flesh, whereas the large, slow-growing summer and winter types have pungent firm flesh. Winter varieties can be stored through the winter.

Radishes are usually grown as annuals and are harvested before they flower. The lobed leaves form a basal rosette that emerges from the top of the root. Flower stalks usually appear in the first season, bearing white or lilac-veined flowers with four petals; the seeds are borne in a pod called a silicle. Depending on the variety, the edible root ranges in shape from spherical to long and cylindrical or tapered, and the outside skin can be white, yellow, pink, red, purple, or black. Radishes vary in size from a few grams in the most-popular early American and European varieties up to 1 kg (2.2 pounds) in the Japanese daikon radish.