Common Edible Plant Families

The following plant families list is an extensive aggregate of all of the taxonomic families which contain the most-commonly-cultivated food crops.

It encompasses most of the edible species which gardeners are likely to grow, from vegetables to herbs to fruits; as well as some identifying characteristics, common traits, and helpful info about each family.

Actinidiaceae - The Chinese Gooseberry Family

• Kiwifruit

Amaranthaceae - The Amaranth Family

Much of this family was formerly known as Chenopodiacea (commonly called "chenopodia" or the "goosefoot" family), but has since been reclassified as Amaranthacea.

This was spurred on with advances in DNA sequencing, after learning that these species are much more closely-related to amaranth than previously thought.

All of the edible species in the former Chenopodiaceae family have been absorbed into the broader Amaranthaceae family - including such species as spinach, beets, quinoa, and chard.

Amaranth species, however, were notably not former members of Chenopodiaceae but are included in the modern Amaranthaceae family. For this reason, it's important to stay up-to-date on family names to avoid confusion.

You will still hear some older gardeners refer to some of these crops as chenopodia or goosefoot - as the reclassification happened in 2003 and many folks are not up-to-date on their taxonomies.

• Amaranth
• Beet
• Epazote
• Orach
• Quinoa
• Spinach
• Swiss chard

Anacardiaceae - The Cashew / Sumac Family

The Anacardiaceae family are generally tropical shrubs and trees, though a few species do live in temperate zones.

Some of the family members can be pretty nasty, e.g.: poison ivy, poison oak with irritating or poisonous resins. As gardeners though, we're interested in the the cultivated food crops in this family, which include:

• Mango
• Cashew
• Pistachio
• Peruvian Pepper (Pink Peppercorns)
• Sumac

Apiaceae - The Carrot / Parsley Family

The Apiaceae family is often referred to as the "Umbellifers", as one of the most notable characteristics shared by all species in the family are the upside-down-umbrella-shaped umbels (flower cluster stalks).

Some of the members in this family produce some phototoxic sap which can make skin extremely susceptible to bad burns when exposed to sunlight - with photosensitivity sometimes lasting years!

Those would be the wild parsnip (the cultivated variety doesn't seem to do this), and giant hogweed.

Other species are poisonous, e.g.: queen anne's lace, poison hemlock, and fool's parsley. If you're foraging for wild species in this family, be absolutely sure you know how to identify them!

For our purposes as gardeners, we're interested in the edible species which are commonly cultivated. These include:

• Carrot
• Celery
• Chervil (French parsley)
• Parsley
• Dill
• Fennel
• Cilantro / Coriander
• Parsnip
• Anise
• Cumin
• Lovage

The leaves can be eaten on all the above-listed cultivated varieties with the exception of parsnip. While I have eaten a few cultivated parsnip leaves myself and had no issue, they may theoretically contain some of the phototoxic sap from their wild parsnip cousins.

There are not really any recipes to be found online for cooking cultivated parsnip leaves, so I take that as pretty good evidence that people generally avoid eating them.

I do not find cultivated parsnip species foliage to cause me any burns or sensitivity on exposed skin after touching, but it's worth considering gloves and long-sleeves even when working with cultivated parsnips just to be safe.

Araliaceae - The Ginseng Family

• Panax Ginseng
• Siberian Ginseng

Araceae - The Arum Family

• Eddoe
• Giant Swamp Taro
• Konjac
• Lasia
• Malanga
• Monstera
• Taro

Arecaceae - The Palm Family

• Acai Palm
• African Oil Palm
• Betel Nut Palm
• Caryota Palm
• Coconut
• Date Palm
• Jelly Palm
• Juçara Palm
• Mauritia Palm
• Oil Palm
• Palmetto Palm
• Pandanus Palm
• Peach Palm
• Salak
• Sugar Palm
• Sago Palm

Asparagaceae - The Asparagus Family

• Asparagus

Asteraceae - The Aster Family

Often referred to as the Asters, Daisies, and Sunflowers - the Asteraceae family is the current largest family of angiosperms (flowering plants) by number of species, with at least 32,000 members.

If you're a hiker like I am, you may be familiar with the practice of treating clothing with permethrin to repel ticks and mosquitos. Permethrin is produced in daisies as a chemotoxin to defend the plants against pests, and humans often utilize it for the same purpose.

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Be careful though, permethrin is known to cause seizures and tremors in cats, dogs, fish, and likely also humans. It's absorbed through the skin and can cause some serious nervous system issues if you wear permethrin-treated clothing directly against the skin!

This also makes many of the species in this family poisonous to both humans and pets. You don't want your dog to eat daisies or marigolds!

That said, there are many edible species you're familiar with in this family, and quite a few are commonly cultivated including:

• Artichoke
• Chamomile
• Chicory
• Endive
• Feverfew
• Lettuce
• Radicchio
• Sunchoke (AKA Jerusalem Artichoke)
• Sunflower
• Tarragon
• Yarrow

Amaryllidaceae - The Amaryllis Family

This one was formerly known as Alliaceae, the Allium family. It's since been recategorized from DNA sequencing info which helped us learn how closely-related the alliums are to amaryllis.

Alliums are now grouped as the genus Allium, within the Allioideae subfamily, within the Amaryllidaceae family.

Some gardeners will still refer to the former Alliaceae family (Allium Family), though this is no longer its own separate family.

• Chives
• Garlic
• Leek
• Onion
• Ramps
• Scallion (AKA Green Onion)
• Shallot

Aquifoliaceae - The Holly Family

• Yerba Maté

Boraginaceae - The Borage Family

• Bee Balm
• Borage

You may also be familiar with comfrey, a great bio-accumulator and nutrient scavenger often used to make fermented plant fertilizer, and phacelia, a cover crop used primarily for biomass and pollinator attraction. While these are both in the boraginaceae family, we didn't list these as they're not known for being edible - but you'll likely encounter them at some point.

Brassicaceae - The Mustard Family

One of the most commonly-cultivated families of vegetables, the brassicas can all trace their roots back to a wild mustard.

Selection for tasty leaves, edible flower buds, tasty flowers, spicy roots, etc have resulted in the breadth of cultivated brassica species we see today!

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Traditionally known as the Cruciferae family, you'll frequently hear these referred to as "cruciferous" veggies because of the cross-like arrangement of the four petals in the flowers.

Unlike some reclassifications, as in Chenopodiaceae to Amaranthaceae, the Cruciferae name has not been completely replaced by Brassicaceae, and both are still valid. This rename did not result in any additions or removals like some family reclassifications.

For this reason, using the name Cruciferae or cruciferous is still accepted and should not cause confusion, as it's synonymous with Brassicaceae & brassica.

Some commonly-cultivated species in this family include:

• Arugula
• Broccoli
• Bok Choy
• Cauliflower
• Cabbage
• Kale
• Brussel sprouts
• Radish
• Romanesco
• Turnip
• Mizuna
• Mustard
• Napa (Chinese Cabbage)
• Wasabi
• Watercress
• Horseradish
• Kohlrabi

Cannabaceae - The Hemp Family

• Cannabis
• Hops
• Hackberry

Convolvulaceae - The Morning Glory Family

• Sweet potato
• Water spinach

Cucurbitaceae - The Gourd Family

• Cucumber
• Summer Squash
• Pumpkin
• Melon
• Watermelon
• Winter Squash
• Zucchini
• Bitter melon
• Luffa

Dioscoreaceae - The Yam Family

• Yam

Ericaceae - The Heath Family

• Blueberry
• Cranberry
• Huckleberry

Fabaceae - The Legume Family

• Peas (various types)
• Beans (various types)
• Lentils
• Chickpeas
• Peanuts
• Soybeans
• Alfalfa
• Fenugreek

Grossulariaceae - The Currant Family

• Gooseberry
• Currant

Juglandaceae - The Walnut Family

• Walnut
• Pecan

Lamiaceae - The Mint Family

• Basil
• Mint
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Lavender
• Marjoram
• Savory

Lauraceae - The Laurel Family

• Avocado
• Bay Leaves
• Cinnamon
• Sassafras

Lythraceae - The Loosestrife Family

• Pomegranate

Malpighiaceae - The Malpighia Family

• Acerola
• Nance (Changungas)

Malvaceae - The Mallow Family

• Okra
• Cacao
• Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa)

Moraceae - The Mulberry Family

• Fig
• Mulberry
• Jackfruit
• Breadfruit

Moringaceae - The Drumstick Family

• Moringa

Moringa is the only genus in the Moringaceae family, which contains the Moringa oleifera tree - frequently touted as a superfood with amazing health benefits. These trees grow fast and are primarily harvested for their leaves, which are commonly dried and powdered. I add moringa powder to my smoothies personally.

Musaceae - The Banana Family

• Banana
• Plantain

Myristaceae - The Nutmeg Family

• Nutmeg
• Mace

Myrtaceae - The Myrtle Family

• Allspice
• Clove
• Guava

Pedaliaceae - The Sesame Family

• Sesame

Piperaceae - The Pepper Family

• Black pepper
• Long pepper

Poaceae - The Grass Family

• Bamboo shoots
• Barley
• Corn (maize)
• Job's Tears
• Lemongrass
• Millet
• Oats
• Rice
• Sorghum
• Sugar Cane
• Wheat
• Wild Rice

Polygonaceae - The Knotweed Family

• Rhubarb
• Buckwheat
• Sorrel

Ranunculaceae - The Buttercup / Crowfoot Family

This family includes Nigella sativa, a personal favorite of mine for the black nigella seeds it produces. I learned to bake a killer Turkish pide (pita) bread back in the day and nigella seeds on top were a MUST.

Sometimes these seeds are called "black cumin", "black onion", or even "black sesame" though it's not related to any of these.

If you bake bread I can't suggest enough that you grab some nigella seeds and give them a try on top, they really send it.

Commonly-cultivated edible species in this family include:

• Nigella Sativa

Rosaceae - The Rose Family

• Almond
• Apple
• Apricot
• Blackberry
• Cherry
• Pear
• Raspberry
• Strawberry
• Manzanilla (Tejocotes)
• Peach
• Plum

Rutaceae - The Citrus Family

• Citrus (orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit)
• Kumquat

Solanaceae - The Nightshade Family

• Tomato
• Pepper (sweet and chili)
• Eggplant
• Potato
• Tomatillo
• Ground cherry

Theaceae - The Tea Family

• Tea (Camellia sinensis)

Tropaeolaceae - The Nasturtium Family

• Nasturtium

Urticaceae - The Nettle Family

• Stinging nettle

Verbenaceae - The Verbena / Vervain Family

• Mexican Oregano
• Verbena

Vitaceae - The Grape Family

• Grape

Zingiberaceae - The Ginger Family

• Ginger
• Turmeric
• Cardamom

FAQs

How Many Plant Families Are There

While we've listed some of the plant families which contain the most-commonly-cultivated edible food crops, there are many many more plant families out there!

Some esitmates identify 500+ plant families, while changes in taxonomic classification occur frequently enough that the true number is constantly changing.

How Many Edible Plants Are There

Including all the wild foods, many of which are seldomly cultivated, there may be up to 20,000 - 30,000 edible plants on Earth which humans use for food.

Of that, an estimated 7,000 or so are actually cultivated as food crops.

The number shrinks further, to just about 200 plant species, when we count only those which are commonly-cultivated for food.

Have any suggestions or corrections for the list? Please shoot an email to admin@learndirt.com and let us know!